


Stuck in Radiator Springs

by ShuTodoroki



Category: Cars (Pixar Movies)
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Car Sex, Dream Sex, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gay Sex, Innuendo, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, NSFW, Oral Sex, Porn With Plot, Romance, Sally isn't with Lightning, Slow Burn, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:46:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 26
Words: 36,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27605101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShuTodoroki/pseuds/ShuTodoroki
Summary: After being defeated by Cruz Ramirez, Jackson Storm challenges Lightning McQueen to a race on his home turf. When it goes wrong and he gets into a crash, he is left grounded in Radiator Springs for three weeks by his sponsor. But is it really so bad? Smut in Chapters 17, 18, and 21. Innuendo at the beginning of Chapter 19 and at the end of Chapter 20.
Relationships: Lightning McQueen/Jackson Storm
Kudos: 58





	1. Bitter Rivalry

Rage. Pure, unbridled, rage. That was the first thing that came to Jackson Storm's mind as Cruz Ramirez crossed the finish line before him. And it was all because of a single flip! He sighed as he slowed down after he crossed the finish line in second. 

_Get past the paparazzi, get past the paparazzi, get past the paparazzi. That's all you need to do._ He told himself as he rolled off of the race track, only to be swarmed by said paparazzi. He quickly put on a cool smirk as he tried to make his way to his hauler, Gale Beaufort.

"Jackson Storm, what do you think of Cruz Ramirez?"

"Simple case of beginner's luck. It won't happen again."

"Is your reputation hurt in any way by this?"

"Not at all. Even _the_ Lightning McQueen didn't get first every time." 

"How do you feel about losing to 96.8% odds of first place?" 

One of his eyes twitched as he heard that. It was almost as if these paparazzi were rubbing in the fact that he lost. Oh, wait, they were.

"No more questions for today. Thank you." 

He visibly quickened his pace as he reached Gale, where Ray Reverham, his crew chief, was waiting. He drove backwards into his trailer with Ray following. Thankfully, security kept the paparazzi away as he closed the ramp, so he could talk to his crew chief without having to shout over the background noise.

"Well, Jackson, it's only one race. You'll just train like you always have, and we'll win the next Piston Cup." He had placed second, after all, which wasn't devastating in any way.

"Costume girl broke my number one streak, Ray. I would've had this race in the bag if _McQueen_ hadn't replaced himself." His voice was laced with malice. Obviously, McQueen realized that he couldn't win, and exploited his racing number. 

"There's no point in focusing on what could've happened. The only thing we can do is make you better for the next racing season." 

Make himself better? He was just caught off guard. He had the highest specs of any racer, and had probably logged the most hours on the simulator. It was not that he didn't train hard enough. 

"This isn't even about me placing second, alright? If Danny Swervez beat me, I'd still be mad, sure, but I've been compared to McQueen countless times, and getting beaten by not even him, but his replacement, is downright insulting." He seethed. 

"What are you getting at, Jackson?" Ray didn't seem to like where this was going. 

It didn't take very long for him to reply. "A one-on-one race with McQueen. To prove I can beat him." It'd be perfect. 

"You know, if you lose, you're just going to cause more humiliation for yourself." 

“Didn’t we laugh about McQueen not being a threat a few days ago on the simulator?”

“...Yeah, we did.”

“Exactly. McQueen, for sure, won’t beat me. I’m also planning on doing it at that middle of nowhere place where he lives.”

"You mean Radiator Springs?" 

"Yeah, whatever. That place. When I win, I go back to the training center. Simple as that. Besides, take it as real-world training. Can’t just practice on the sim, am I right?” 

Ray knew that there was probably no way of convincing him to not do this, but he figured that they had nothing to lose. Jackson would definitely win, anyway, if he was going against McQueen himself. “Alright. You have time before the next race season, anyway. Have you confronted McQueen yet?”

“Not yet. My priority was making it in here.” He glanced out one of his trailer windows, and saw that the paparazzi were still taking pictures of his trailer. “I’m probably going to head out now, though. There clearly isn’t a good time because I’ll be swarmed, regardless.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. Security usually keeps them away.” 

“They’d better.” He didn’t feel like getting his defeat rubbed in his face again.

He pushed the button on the right side of the trailer with his tire to open up the ramp, and waited for Ray to get out of the trailer. As expected, the paparazzi behind the barriers surged forward to get pictures as the ramp lowered, but security kept them away as he calmly rolled down the ramp to the ground. 

He moved forward as he looked for McQueen and his crew in the pits. If he remembered correctly, they were behind where he was. Sure enough, with the help of Mater’s ridiculously big hat in the shape of a Piston Cup, he found them. Cruz was still busy talking to the paparazzi, but McQueen looked free as he smiled at his protege.

_Perfect._ “Hey there, champ. Smart idea to put your replacement out there. Gotta have one more win under your racing number before retirement.” He sneered.

The smile on Lightning McQueen’s face immediately dropped when he heard Jackson Storm’s voice. He turned around, looking slightly annoyed. “For your information, Storm, I’m still racing, and I gave her a chance to race. Cruz always wanted to be a racer.”

“How sweet. Whether you’re racing or not, the race was _supposed_ to be between you and I.” He could see that he was now on the receiving end of some glares, mainly from McQueen’s Radiator Springs friends, but he ignored them.

“What’s your point?” Lightning was getting increasingly irritated with him. Jackson had placed second, which is not horrible by any means. 

He figured that he’d just tell Lightning upfront what he wanted; it’d save time, anyway. “A one-on-one race, so I can beat you like I was supposed to do today.” 

Lightning rolled his eyes. He knew that the Next Gen wouldn’t back down if he said no. “Fine. Where were you planning on racing?”

“Radiator Springs. On your home turf.” 

Lightning had a slight smirk as he heard Radiator Springs. He wasn’t sure if Jackson had any experience with dirt roads from the simulator, but if he didn’t, he had a pretty good idea of what would transpire, from personal experience. “Alright, I’m game. When are you paying a visit?” 

“In two days. I have to return to the racing center first, then I'll pay a visit.” He replied, still wearing a smug grin. “Good luck; you’re going to need it.” With that, he turned around and headed back to his pit area.

Cruz had just excused herself from the paparazzi when he saw Jackson Storm leaving Lightning, and she looked pretty concerned. “What was Storm doing talking to you?”

“Said that he wanted to one-on-one race me in Radiator Springs.”

“What!?! Lightning, you can’t beat him.”

“Gee, thanks. I think I have a chance of winning this time, though. You know Willy’s Butte?”

“Yeah, that’s where you’ll be racing. That’s where you told me the races in Radiator Springs are held.”

“There’s a cactus patch next to the second turn, and it’s after a pretty steep dropoff. Judging by Storm’s reliance on speed, he might not make the turn.”

“Oh, yeah, you fell for that turn too, way back when!” Tow Mater chimed in, as the rest of his friends from Radiator Springs snickered a bit.

Lightning looked slightly annoyed as Mater said what he was thinking, but he couldn’t help but smile a bit. That was his first race with Doc Hudson.

“Considering Storm is using the same training methods we do, with the simulators and treadmills, he probably doesn’t have a lot of experience with real dirt roads.” Cruz thought aloud. 

Lightning nodded. "Exactly. Which is why I'll have an advantage over him in this race."

Meanwhile, Jackson Storm had returned to his trailer, dodging paparazzi once again along the way, who were asking him what he said to McQueen. He didn’t feel like telling them, as he wasn’t in the mood to answer questions. "It's set. I'll race him in two days." 

Ray nodded in acknowledgement. "I suppose, as you said, it'll provide some training on rugged terrain." He still felt a bit cautious about the whole thing, but again, this was Jackson Storm. He had beaten Lightning McQueen before on multiple speedways, he could do it on a racing circuit made of dirt. 

The trailer jolted as Gale set off for the IGNTR Racing Center.


	2. Anticipation

Jackson Storm groggily looked out one of his trailer's windows as daylight flooded into the interior of his trailer. They had driven overnight from Florida, and had already spent a day on the road. They should be more than halfway to Las Vegas, where the IGNTR Racing Center was. He heard the partition at the back open, which meant Ray was up as well. 

"We should be back this evening, and then you can rest up and head out tomorrow morning." Ray informed Jackson. 

"Yeah, yeah." He replied, looking at scenery go by. It was a long drive, and he just wanted to reach the training center already. 

"Gale, how're you doing?" Ray asked, since Jackson didn't seem to be in the mood for talking.

"Holding up." Gale replied. 

"Good. You think you can make it to this evening?" 

"Yep. Thanks for asking." She had gotten accustomed to long hours; it was only a couple more hours, and they'd be there already.

The conversation was boring Jackson, so he pressed a button to swing down the TV from the ceiling and to turn it on, only to be immediately greeted with Chick Hicks talking about his defeat on Racing Sports Network. He gritted his teeth as he immediately changed the channel.

"The media's fickle, Jackson. They'll praise you at your best, and bring you down at your worst. You just have to learn to ignore them." Ray said, trying to make Jackson feel better.

"Hmph. One race in second place, and they're questioning my ability already." 

“As you told me, you weren’t expecting that flip. No one was.”

“Yeah, but still. I don’t appreciate it.”

“I can tell that’s why you want to do this race in Radiator Springs.”

“Yeah. When I leave McQueen in the dust, I settle my score, and then I can beat him all over again at the next Piston Cup.”

The next several hours went by slowly for Jackson as he watched other things on the TV, and he was about to ask if they were close when Gale announced that they were here, and he saw the sign for the IGNTR Racing Center go by in the window. 

“Ugh, finally.” He jabbed at the same button he used to swing down the TV, and it turned off and swung back up to its stowed position. He exited his trailer uninhibited, thanks to the security around the premises that were probably keeping paparazzi away. 

“Get some rest tonight, alright?” Ray said as he exited behind him. “You need to be in tip-top shape when you race McQueen tomorrow.”

“It’s McQueen, Ray. I’ll be fine.” He replied dismissively as he entered the training center, and headed for his quarters. Although Ray let him do this, he could tell that he was still cautious, and he had no idea why. He was Jackson Storm. That was enough reassurance.

Meanwhile, in Radiator Springs, Lightning McQueen was doing laps around Willy’s Butte, even though he had done so earlier that day with Cruz, sporting his new paint job honoring Doc. He stopped to rest for a bit just after the finish line, when he heard someone pull up to where the “stands” were just off the dirt track. 

“Preparing for the race tomorrow?” Sally asked.

“Yeah. Can’t be too prepared, am I right?” 

“You know Willy’s Butte so well you could do it with your eyes closed, Stickers. Storm doesn’t.”

“Well, I _have_ done 50 laps so far. I guess I can stop for the day.” He replied as he rolled off the dirt track to face Sally.

“Besides, didn’t you say Storm would most likely fall for that dreaded second turn?”

“Emphasis on most likely. Maybe he’s done racing on dirt roads on the simulator.”

“From what I can tell, he’s only raced on asphalt, and even if he has practiced dirt roads on the simulator, it’s not the real thing.”

"Yeah, thanks Sal." 

"Anytime. Now let's get back; the sun's setting." 

Lightning nodded as he drove with Sally back to the town center. Now that he was done training, all he could do was wait for tomorrow.


	3. The Race and The Wreck

A blaring alarm woke Jackson Storm from his sleep, and he hit the top of his alarm with his tire to turn it off. He had a scowl on his face as he was still tired, and not a morning car, but it soon turned into a smirk as he realized that today was the day of his race with McQueen. He moved forward as he exited his quarters in the IGNTR Racing Center, to meet Ray near the entrance where he'd see him off.

He soon saw Ray near the bottom of the ramp as he descended it, and Ray spoke to him once he reached the bottom. "You'll be back tonight, right?" 

"Yeah. It won't be a long race, and Radiator Springs is close enough to here to make it back on the same day."

"Alright. Have fun." Ray knew not to say good luck; it was a given that Storm would beat McQueen.

"I will." He said with a smirk as he made his way over to Gale and his trailer.

He reversed into his trailer, and closed the ramp. Soon, they were on their way to Radiator Springs, as Ray waved goodbye with a tire through one of the windows in the facade of the IGNTR Racing Center.

He rolled down the window shades on both sides as he took a nap, since he wanted to catch some more shut-eye. 

2 hours later, he woke up, and they were in western Arizona. He played some EDM music to pass the rest of the time as he rose the window shades to look outside. 

Gale realized that Jackson was up when she heard the EDM music, and figured that she'd talk while they were driving. It was boring for her, too, during these long drives. "How're you doing back there?" 

"Much better after the nap. I'm well rested, and ready to show McQueen why you don't mess with the Storm." 

"I'm sure you are. Do you think the media know about it yet?"

"Unless McQueen has told them, no. The media frenzy usually dies down after the last Piston Cup race. Convenient, too, since we're all training after that race. I don't have time for reporters when racing season isn't on." 

Although, since Gale brought it up, Jackson turned on the TV to the Racing Sports Network, and sure enough, there was no mention of a race between him and Lightning, just a replay of the pile up caused by Cam Spinner at the Florida 500. 

"Yeah, the media hasn't picked up on it. Good for McQueen, since his defeat won't be broadcasted around the world." He said smugly.

"I think McQueen is used to not being first anymore, though. You've beat him in every race."

"Which is why I can't fathom why he wants to continue racing."

"Perhaps he's content with four Piston Cups." 

"Maybe. It doesn't matter though; it's fun when veterans stay. That way, I can show 'em what Next Gens can do." 

"And you do a very good job at that." Sometimes Jackson's egotistical moments were annoying, but Gale had grown accustomed to them. 

The remaining 2 hours to Radiator Springs were spent with some idle chatter about the next Piston Cup racing season, or silence while Jackson vibed to the EDM he was playing. Soon, they turned off of the Interstate 40, and Jackson saw Willy's Butte in the distance. Gale pulled onto the main strip, and soon stopped, signifying that they had arrived.

Jackson smirked as he left the EDM playing to make an entrance, as he lowered the ramp. The residents of Radiator Springs, along with McQueen himself and Cruz, were gathered in front of the ramp, as the ramp fully lowered and Jackson exited his trailer. The first thing he noticed was Lightning's new paint job.

"I see you picked up your replacement's penchant for wearing costumes, champ. Cute that you're emulating your late mentor. Racing in that next season?" 

"It's not a costume, Storm, it's a paint job. And yes, I plan to race in it next season. Doc would be proud." 

"I have a name, you know." Cruz piped up, obviously irritated with being referred to as Lightning's replacement. 

"I know. I heard it at least 50 times after the-” He cut off as he saw the Dinoco name on one of Cruz’s doors. “You got the Dinoco sponsorship? After one race?” He looked indignant.

“Yeah, Tex offered, and she accepted. You didn’t know?” Lightning questioned.

“There was no mention of it in the news, no…” 

“Well, Tex did just announce it today. He also bought Rust-eze.”

"A shame. I was going to buy your mudflaps." He had gotten over the momentary shock of seeing Cruz's new Dinoco sponsorship. That was the sponsorship that many racers coveted, and he was surprised that Tex gave it to her so easily.

Lightning obviously didn't like the mudflap comment and scowled. "Aren't you here for a race, Storm?"

"Getting right to the point, huh? I like it. It'll just make my victory over you quicker." He said as he started rolling towards Willy's Butte near the end of the main strip.

"Hold on, Storm. You're on my turf; we do the race by my rules." Lightning pulled up next to Jackson when he stopped, looking quite stern.

"Alright, champ, I'm game. What'd you have in mind?" 

"No ramming. Just a clean, fair, race." 

"As if I even needed that to beat you." He scoffed. "How many laps were you planning on?"

"Just one."

He looked a bit disappointed. "And I thought I was going to get some sort of workout today. Though I guess it's a quick win." 

Lightning decided that he'd stop talking since it'd probably only lead to another derisive comment from Jackson. 

They soon arrived at Willy's Butte, where Jackson and Lightning lined up at the start line. The residents of Radiator Springs watched from the side of the dirt track, as both of the race cars started their engines. 

Jackson had never raced on Willy's Butte before, but it looked simple enough from what he could tell. Two turns, and it looped back to the start line. He felt less traction from the dirt under his tires, but he figured that he'd start off with a little less acceleration, is all. 

Luigi pulled up with the flag, obviously excited to be doing this again, albeit it was Lightning and Jackson this time, not Lightning and Doc. "On your marks, get set, go!" 

Both racers shot off quickly, leaving a trail of dust in their wake, with Jackson slightly in the lead. He took the first turn sharply, but still managed to keep control, as he wanted to stay ahead of Lightning. He saw the second turn and slowed down slightly, turning towards the left, but he soon felt his back tires sliding on the dirt. He had taken the turn too fast. He tried to turn towards the skid, but by that point he was already off of the track and sliding sideways. He slid off of the dropoff and rolled over two times, before coming to a stop after hitting the cactus patch. 

Lightning immediately screeched to a halt after seeing Jackson skid in front of him, and he quickly headed over to where Jackson had fallen off of the drop off. He had assumed that Jackson crashed like he did, head first, but soon realized Jackson had rolled over, and the crash was a lot more serious. 

It didn't take very long for Jackson to realize he had wrecked when brutal pain immediately surged through his frame as he hit the cactus patch, but he didn't know how bad it was. He tried to reverse back up the slope, but he was getting no traction as his tires spun against the dirt. He could feel that one of his wheel wells was dented as the tire scraped against it. 

An audible gasp rang out from the residents of Radiator Springs, and they soon came over. Jackson looked to be in better shape than Lightning was when he wrecked at the Piston Cup, but his frame was badly dented all over, some parts of his paint job ripped off from the rollover crash. His spoiler was deformed, and both of his headlights were broken. 

Tow Mater readied his tow cable as Lightning and the rest looked down in shock. 

"Hamilton, call 911." Cruz commanded as they waited for help to arrive.

Jackson cringed and yelled in pain as he was hoisted up the slope, although it was necessary; it'd be hard to reach him from where he was between the cactus patch and the steep slope. 

Cruz was busy relaying details to the emergency services when the sound of a semi could be heard, as Gale quickly rushed over to where Jackson was. She was waiting for Jackson behind Flo's V8 Cafe when Sally quickly traveled to the town center to inform Gale that Jackson had crashed. "Oh my...Jackson…"

Jackson didn't say anything in response, as many things were racing through his mind. The pain. The wreck. The humiliation. He found himself weak as he sat there, smoke starting to billow out from his hood. 

"Jackson, stay awake, alright? You'll be fine." Lightning knew what it was like to wreck. It wasn't pretty, and he knew that Jackson was obviously in a lot of pain.

"S-Stop...lying..." He found it hard to speak as it took all the energy he had left, so he stopped after that. One thing did register in his mind, though: Lightning had called him by his first name. 

"They're going to medevac him to the nearest hospital, since there's none here." Cruz informed as she looked concerned. Yes, Jackson was the one who rammed her into the side of the track at the Florida 500, but he had just wrecked. She couldn't even imagine what he was going through that very moment.

Soon, the sound of a helicopter filled the air, as the cars made way for it to land. Two paramedics came out and carefully transported Jackson onto a gurney, giving Lightning and the others the information of the hospital they'd be transporting Jackson to, before they shut the doors and the helicopter took off. 

They all looked somber when the helicopter took off, but Lightning especially. "I feel like I'm responsible for what happened. I didn't warn him about the turn." 

"Lightning, there's no way you could've known that Jackson would skid that badly on the turn. You came out relatively unscathed; all of us assumed the same would've happened to Storm." Sally consoled.

Lightning didn't respond as he watched the helicopter fly off into the distance. "We'd better meet him at the hospital." He said as he drove back towards town. 

Once they got back to the main strip, Gale quickly headed over to Jackson’s trailer to transport it with her, but not before using the phone Jackson had in his trailer. “Ray? Yeah, Jackson had an accident…”


	4. The Hospital

Jackson Storm slowly cracked open his eyes as he came to, initially having no memory of what had happened until it came back to him. The wreck in Radiator Springs. He realized that he was in a hospital room; obviously, the injuries he had sustained were serious enough to land him here. He looked around, and saw Ray to his right, next to the window. "Ray?" He softly spoke, as he stirred slightly.

Ray had been staring off into space for the past hour; by the time he arrived at the hospital after Gale's call, Jackson had already gone through surgery to fix the exterior damage, and they were waiting for Jackson to come to from the sedative. The rest were waiting downstairs, as Jackson's room wasn't exactly big, so it was only him in the room. He had wanted to stay with Jackson; he knew that Jackson would be angry when he woke up, and he needed to be there to support him. He was his crew chief, after all, and he had known Jackson for the longest. He was brought back to reality when Jackson said his name. 

"Jackson, you're awake. How're you feeling?"

"If I'm being honest, awful. My frame aches all over." 

"You're a tough racer, Jackson. You'll be over this in no time."

"I know…it's humiliating that my first wreck was in a race that lasted one lap, and wasn't even the Piston Cup. Media's probably having a field day with this." 

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Someone saw you being wheeled out of the helicopter." 

He looked pretty angry, and was about to reply, when the doctor came in. "Mr. Storm, I see you're awake."

"How bad do I look, doc?" He wanted to know since he had no way of knowing what he looked like.

"The exterior damage has been fixed up nicely. Interior, however, is a different story." 

"What do you mean?" 

"The fall down the slope and into the cactus patch put a lot of strain on your internal components and undercarriage. I assume your entire frame aches, right?"

"Yeah, how long is it going to last?" He planned to start training for the next Piston Cup as soon as possible, and he really hoped that the achiness would go away so he could focus entirely on his training.

"I'm afraid you won't like the answer. When you are discharged tomorrow, you will have to rest for 3 weeks." 

3 weeks? That was almost a month, which only gave him 3 months to prepare. At that rate, he could very easily fall behind. Ray didn't look happy with the information, either. "I have to rest for 3 weeks?" 

"That's correct. It'll be on your discharge papers; no training." 

"But I can't rest for 3 weeks! I have to train!" He sounded panicked and angry at the same time.

"Mr. Storm, you risk permanent damage if you put yourself under any stress while recovering."

"Ray, you're my crew chief. Tell-" 

"He's the doctor, Jackson. I think your best option is to wait until you're back at your best."

Jackson opened his mouth to say something, but realized that he was going to get nowhere, so he shut it again. "...Fine." 

"If there's nothing else you need, I have to attend to another patient." 

"No, nothing else. Thank you." Ray said as the doctor left the room, shutting the curtain and door.

"Ray, I need to train. I'll fall behind by doing nothing for a month." He pleaded.

"What's the point, Jackson? The training isn't going to be helpful if you're not focusing on the race because you're in pain. Besides, you really don't want to risk permanent damage, as the doctor said." 

He sighed in defeat. He knew that Ray was right, deep down inside. He just didn't want to feel so...useless. "I guess you're right. So, I'll return to IGNTR Racing Center first thing tomorrow?" 

Ray seemed to look uncomfortable when he asked that. "Well, about that…"

His eyes narrowed. That tone wasn't a good sign. Not at all. Did he lose the sponsorship? Over one wreck? "Please don't tell me IGNTR doesn't want to sponsor me anymore." 

"Oh, no, it's nothing like that. I called them while you were still asleep because they found out about your crash from the news. The head of IGNTR figured that this kind of doctor's order would result from your injuries, and he said you should stay put." 

"In the hospital?" 

"No, he wants you to stay in Radiator Springs until you're well enough to return." 

"WHAT?" He exclaimed a bit too loudly, before he calmed down. "Why?"

"He doesn't trust you to not use the simulator or treadmills while you're supposed to rest."

"I practically live there."

"That's his point." 

_And I thought that this day couldn't get any worse…_ "Great. Just great."

"Think of it as an impromptu vacation." 

"You're not helping." 

Ray sighed. He knew that Jackson would react like this, but he didn't know of anything else he could do that would help. "Lightning and Cruz came with Gale and I. Of course, not all of Radiator Springs could come with us to the hospital, but they seemed pretty concerned when you crashed. Lightning, especially." 

"Is that your idea of a bad joke? Why would McQueen care? Why would any of them care?"

"That's a question you'd have to ask them." Ray replied. He couldn't answer for them.

"Pssh. As if McQueen would visit me." 

At that moment, the curtain and door slid open as the aforementioned Lightning McQueen rolled in. "The doctor said we could visit you. Cruz decided to stay downstairs to keep Gale company." Gale, as a semi, was too big to fit in the room. 

"Well then, I'll leave you two to talk." Ray said as he headed towards the curtain and door. It would be awkward to be there while Jackson and Lightning talked.

"Wait, Ray-" He was too late by that point, as Ray had already left to head down the ramp to where Cruz and Gale were in the waiting area. He glared at his rival; he obviously didn't like Lightning seeing him like this.

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes, which seemed like hours, until Lightning broke it. "I'm sorry." 

His eyes widened as he heard Lightning's apology. He would be lying if he said that he expected that. He didn't say anything in return, since he assumed that the other racer would elaborate on what he meant. 

"I know that you haven't been on dirt roads; I should've warned you about that second turn." 

"Don't patronize me, McQueen." 

"I'm not patronizing you!"

"Then where's all of this niceness coming from?" 

"For the record, Storm, I was nice to you first thing when we met." 

"I don't even know what you're apologizing for. I skidded. That's it. Though I guess it would be good if we didn't get on each other's nerves; turns out I'll be in town for 3 weeks." 

Lightning was about to explain why he apologized when he heard the news, which shocked him. "I'm sorry, what?" 

"The head of IGNTR doesn't trust me to not train while I'm forced to rest for 3 weeks. Believe me, I'm not 100% comfortable with it either." 

There were so many questions going through Lightning's mind right now, that he just blurted out one of them. "Where are you going to stay?"

He cocked an eyebrow at that. "In my trailer. Are you concerned about me?" 

"Why would you think I wouldn't be? I know what it feels like to crash." 

"Okay? So does Cam Spinner, and we don't talk very often." 

"Well, it's just the right thing to do. I know it's your first wreck, and everything."

He glared daggers at McQueen. He didn't need reminding that he had just experienced his first wreck. "I don't need you to remind me of my wreck, alright? It's already going to be in the news for the next few days, and I'll never hear the end of it." He sighed as he looked out the window. It was night already. "Just go. It's late, and I need some sleep." 

Lightning agreed before he said anything that made the situation more tense than it already was. "Right. Gale will be waiting at the back entrance with your trailer." He said as he swiftly left Jackson's room. 

Jackson sighed as he closed his eyes, and let sleep claim him. He didn't know what had gotten into his rival; maybe he'd find out during his extended stay in Radiator Springs.


	5. Arrival in Radiator Springs

Jackson Storm watched as the nurse took up his signed papers. That was it. He was free to go. One would expect for him to be happy, but his discharge just meant the start of his 3 week mandatory vacation in Radiator Springs, because of his sponsor. He rolled his eyes as he drove out of his hospital room, albeit a bit slower than he usually drove since he was still aching. He headed downstairs and saw Ray.

"Gale's at the back entrance, right? I'm not dealing with the paparazzi right now." Jackson stated.

"Yeah, she is." Ray informed Jackson.

"Great." He soon noticed that Lightning and Cruz were missing. Ray told him they had been waiting for him here the night before. "I'm assuming McQueen and Cruz headed back to Radiator Springs?"

"Yep. They said they wanted to bring the news before you arrived."

"Hmph. Well, I'm heading to my trailer. I want to get these three weeks over and done with."

Ray quickly drove towards Jackson before the Next Gen drove off. "Wait, Jackson." 

Jackson turned around, looking at Ray with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Take care of yourself. Please. I'm not saying this just as your crew chief, but your friend." 

"Trust me, Ray, even if I wanted to train, I wouldn't be able to. I'll see you in three weeks."

With that, he turned around, and headed towards where Gale was waiting. He pushed the door open with one of his tires, and promptly backed into the ramp, closing the ramp as soon as he entered the trailer.

Gale set off, and as soon as she turned out of the back entrance to head towards the main road in front of the hospital, the trailer was swarmed by reporters. 

He promptly lowered the window shades, so they couldn't snap any pictures of him, but he was sure that one of them probably managed to get a picture, which would be in the news the next day. Speaking of that, he didn't dare turn on the TV in his trailer, probably because the first thing he would see would be reporters questioning whether or not he would retire because of his wreck.

Soon, they made it onto Interstate 40, which meant it'd be a smooth ride to Radiator Springs. Gale noticed that Jackson had been quiet ever since they set off, and tried striking up a conversation to pass the time. "Do you feel better after resting overnight at the hospital?"

"Besides my entire frame aching, sure." Jackson replied sarcastically.

"Well, Ray told me the doctor said it should get better over time, as long as you rest." 

"Yeah, for 3 weeks. In Radiator Springs. Against my will."

"You haven't taken a real vacation ever since you became a racer, you know. Maybe it's good you're taking time off."

"It's good for my competitors. And why did it _have_ to be Radiator Springs?"

"The town looks quite charming from the hour I spent there."

"Alright, but it's not the town itself, Gale. It's the fact I'm stuck with McQueen, Cruz, and whoever else McQueen's friends with." 

"McQueen and Cruz have been treating you pretty cordially." 

"Probably because they're pitying me. And I hate it."

"Why?" 

"Pity betrays a feeling of superiority, that's why." 

"I don't see Lightning and Cruz as the type to be condescending." 

"One hour in their town, and you're convinced they're saints?"

"Remember when Lightning pushed Strip Weathers to the finish line after he wrecked?"

"I know. That's after Chick Hicks rammed The King. Chick's probably sullying my name right now. Your point?"

"Lightning seems nice, that's all. Same for Cruz."

"Whatever. If they're nice, great. It'll make the three weeks easier to bear." He then put on some EDM music, which signified that he didn't want to talk at the moment. Gale sighed. Jackson was pretty anti-social from the time she first met him, and she secretly hoped this stay in Radiator Springs would help him come out of his shell. 

After some time, Jackson soon saw Willy's Butte again out of one of his windows. He involuntarily thought back to his wreck, but didn't let the thought go very far before he shut it down. He was going to brave these three weeks, go back to IGNTR, and train harder than ever to make up for lost time. Nevermind the fact he technically lost to McQueen at Willy's Butte; he would definitely beat him and Cruz at the next Piston Cup. He'd make sure of it.

He soon felt the trailer stop as Gale parked behind Flo's V8 Cafe, and he sighed. Well, he was now officially stuck here, thanks to IGNTR. However, all he had to do was survive the three weeks he'd be stuck in his rival's town. 

How hard could it be?


	6. Reaching Out

"Jackson Storm's big crash has been the main headline for the past few days, and the question we're all asking is: How will this affect his career?" 

"Looks like Jackson Storm's storm is over. We didn't see the crash ourselves, but if he had to be airlifted to the nearest hospital, it must've been pretty bad." 

"We still don't know where exactly Jackson Storm had his crash, but veteran Lightning McQueen and Piston Cup winner Cruz Ramirez were seen visiting the hospital Jackson Storm was in, though they provided no comment. Perhaps it had something to do with the events at the Florida 500."

"No, Jackson Storm is not here. He's resting in an undisclosed location, to be undisturbed during his recuperation. I can say for sure, however, that his racing career is not over, and he will be racing in the next Piston Cup." Ray said to the horde of reporters that were now surrounding the entrance to the IGNTR Racing Center. "Now get out. You're trespassing." 

Lightning watched as that was all that was on TV for the past few days, and he couldn't help but feel bad for Jackson. He was getting the same treatment he did after his wreck, but there was a key difference between him and Jackson. Jackson was still fresh, and they were already questioning the fate of his career. 

Along with feeling bad, he was kind of concerned. Jackson had only gone out of his trailer for oil and fuel, and rarely talked to anyone. When he did, it was usually a response to "How are you feeling?" with a curt "Fine." 

Lightning remembered how he had basically shut himself inside Doc's garage after his wreck. It was pretty miserable, but it was his way of coping. He didn't want the same thing happening to Jackson. He made up his mind. "I'm going to go talk to Jackson." He had to admit that he was a bit curious about his rival, as well; they had only spoken in the past on the race track, when Jackson trash talked him. 

Meanwhile, Jackson was bored out of his mind in his trailer. Yes, his isolation in his trailer was by his own decision, but he wondered how Lightning could've stayed in this town for such a long time. There was barely anything to do here even if he went outside.

Gale had been socializing with the locals more than Jackson had; most of it was filling them in on how he was doing since he was moping in his trailer, though some of it was asking about the town and how it came to be. She had uncoupled from Jackson's trailer ever since they arrived, since she knew he was in the mood to be left alone, but she grew concerned about him staying in his trailer, and she decided to call him out on it.

"You know, you can't stay in your trailer forever." 

"Try me."

"Look, Jackson, it's unhealthy for you to be cooped up in here for such a long time. And don't bring up that you go outside for fuel and oil." 

"I'm supposed to be resting, right? So I'm doing that. In my trailer."

"You should really make an effort to talk to the locals." 

"Like who? All they know me for is that I'm McQueen's rival." 

"Well, they've been asking about you."

"And I've told them I'm doing fine whenever they ask me. Your point?" 

"Aren't you bored in there?" 

"It's not like there's anything outside that would entertain me."

"They have a museum about the Hudson Hornet."

"And that's the only marginally interesting thing they have."

Gale sighed in exasperation. The Next Gen would cave at some point; she couldn't imagine being cooped up in a trailer for 3 weeks. The trailer was meant for a day at most; not extended stay. She soon saw Lightning McQueen driving towards her and Jackson and smiled. Maybe Lightning could convince Jackson to come out of his shell.

Jackson saw Lightning coming towards his trailer from his left trailer window, and he rolled his eyes. What was his rival here for? Well, he'd soon find out as he heard a knock on his trailer door. 

"What do you want, champ?" He still had to keep the nickname, just to have some sense of normalcy in his very abnormal situation. 

"Hey, uh, did you want to talk? You haven't really been outside your trailer for the past few days…"

"Talk about what? My retirement?" His voice was laced with sarcasm. Yeah, he knew. He ended up watching TV at some point and regretted it. 

"No, of course not. I know you're not retiring; that's just the media sensationalizing everything. Look, you haven't seen the town, and it's not good to stay in there all the time. I could give you a tour." 

Jackson contemplated Lightning's offer. Considering he didn't have anything better to do at the moment, he really had no reason to say no. 

Lightning had no warning as the ramp clicked open and lowered, as he quickly reversed out of the way. He soon saw Jackson, who started rolling down the ramp towards Lightning. 

Gale was glad that Jackson was heading out to socialize, though it was probably motivated by boredom. Jackson really only had her and Ray to talk to, and she thought that it would be good if he made other friends.

"Well, champ, where do we start?" He said with a slight smirk. He knew the nickname annoyed McQueen.

"Ugh. Why do you call me 'champ' in the first place?" He asked as he started driving towards the main road going through Radiator Springs from Flo's V8 Cafe.

"You were the reigning champ before I came around, that's why. Would you rather I call you the multitude of nicknames Chick Hicks has told me?" 

"I'd rather you not…"

"Heh, I figured that. Now, you said something about a tour?" 

"Oh, yeah, the tour. Well, we have Flo's right here…"


	7. Apology Accepted

Turns out, the tour only took around 30 minutes, and Jackson wasn't that into it, well, until they reached the Doc Hudson Racing Museum. 

"I could tell you weren't interested in the other places, so I figured I'd save the best for last." 

"Yeah, Gale told me there was a museum for the Hudson Hornet. It's...small." 

"Well, yeah, we converted it from his clinic after he passed." 

Jackson didn't seem that impressed by the museum from the outside, but when he followed McQueen inside, he had to give credit where credit was due. They seemed to put a lot of effort into it, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the three Piston Cups on display. 

"Must've been a shock for you when you found out the Hudson Hornet was living here." 

"It was. I couldn't fathom why he just vanished after his crash, until he told me." 

He raised an eyebrow. "What'd he say?"

"They gave up on him, and moved on to the next rookie. It wasn't his choice to quit." 

"Obviously, nothing has changed in the decades that have gone by since then." 

"What do you mean?" Lightning asked.

"The media's talking about me retiring, McQueen. They did the same to the Hornet; they did the same to you."

"But we have a choice. You saw me go back out there. You'll do the same." 

"There's no doubt in that. It's just irritating when the media thinks they can decide when you're over." 

"I know how that feels."

"Yeah, now take that times 10 for me." 

"Trust me, they hype it up for a few days, but it'll die down at some point. They move on." 

Jackson was silent for a few moments before he spoke. "Why've you been so nice to me, McQueen?" 

"Uh...because it's the right thing to do?"

"'Right thing to do.' Ever since the incident when you got left here, you've been different. Believe it or not, I grew up watching you on TV." 

"Then how come you were such a jerk when you first met me?" Lightning didn't mince words.

"You really want to know why?" 

"Yes, of course I do."

"I've been relentlessly compared to you ever since I got into racing. Just because I was a rookie. I felt like I had something to prove." 

"Alright, but that's no excuse. Racers respect each other. Most of them, anyway." 

Jackson was silent again before he looked away from Lightning. "Sorry." He said, barely a whisper.

Well, Lightning definitely wasn't expecting that. He could've sworn that was an apology. "What'd you say?"

Jackson looked back at Lightning, annoyed. "I said, I'm sorry."

"I can't believe you're apologizing." 

"Look, do you accept my apology or not?" 

"Yeah, of course I do, Storm."

"Good." 

There was an awkward silence before Jackson broke it. "It was fun hanging with you, McQueen, but I'm gonna head back to my trailer." 

Lightning seemed to perk up when Jackson said it was fun hanging out with him. "You mean you had fun?" 

"Well, anything's better than sitting in a trailer. I guess I'll see you tomorrow." 

"Yeah, see you, Jackson." 

Jackson noticed that Lightning had used his first name again, almost as if the both of them were more like friendly rivals. He didn't really know what to make of it at the moment, but he found himself strangely unbothered by it, almost…fond of it. 

"See you, Lightning." He said as he drove out of Doc Hudson's museum. 

Lightning drove out after Jackson, interested by his changing relationship with Jackson. Jackson had slowly grown less hostile towards him over the time they had hung out, and that apology really threw him for a loop. Maybe there was more to Jackson Storm that he had never bothered to find out about. 

After he and Jackson had parted ways at Doc Hudson's museum, Lightning suddenly thought of something as he headed back to his cone at the Cozy Cone Motel. He drove up to the detached office of the hotel, where Sally was most of the time. Thankfully, she was there when he rolled in. 

"Hey, Stickers. I saw you hanging out with Storm today. How'd it go?" 

"Surprisingly well. I don't think he's the jerk that we know him as. He apologized for being rude the first time we met." 

"Wait, really? That doesn't sound like him." 

"Well, the only time we see him is on the race track. I think that we don't know the real Jackson Storm."

"To be honest, I think it's wishful thinking. He's been a jerk to both you and Cruz." 

Lightning cringed a bit. "I guess you won't like the favor I'm about to ask you…" 

Sally looked apprehensive. "What is it?"

"Storm's been sleeping in his trailer for the past few days, and I know it's uncomfortable to be sleeping on a cold, metal surface like that. Would you mind letting him stay at the Cozy Cone?" 

Sally looked at Lightning like he was insane. "Even if he apologized, Lightning, I'm not sure if what you're asking is a good idea." 

"He wrecked here, Sal. I can tell he's upset. The least we can do is show him some hospitality. Have you seen what they're saying about him on the news?" 

"Of course. The whole early retirement thing." 

"That same thing happened to me. I know what it feels like."

"The difference is, you're not a jerk. He is." 

"Remember when you offered me a stay here when I tore up the road? I'll admit it. I was a jerk, but cars can change."

Sally sighed. Lightning was right. It was wrong for her to judge a book by its cover. "Alright, I get your point. Did you want him in the cone farthest away from you, or?"

"Nah, Cone #2 should be good."

Sally was confused. "That's the one right next to yours."

"I know."

"Why would you want him next to you?" 

"Well, there was tangible tension between us, but when we started talking in Doc's museum, I didn't sense it anymore. I don't think he did either, since he looked more, I don't know, at ease."

"Okay, are you trying to become friends with him?" 

"You could say that. I'm giving him a second chance." 

"Like we did to you. Alright, I see what you're saying. I just hope you're right about him." 

"Yeah, me too." 

"When are you planning on telling him?" 

"Probably tomorrow." He said as he glanced at the sunset. "It's a bit late, and I just hung out with him today. I don't want to bother him." 

"Alright, Stickers. See you later." 

"See you, Sal." He said as he drove off towards his cone. 

Sally sighed as he watched Lightning drive away from behind the counter. She wasn't totally on board with his idea, but she knew that she had done the same thing for Lightning. It'd be wrong to treat Jackson as a jerk if, according to Lightning, he seemed to be making amends.


	8. The Real Jackson Storm

The next morning, Lightning headed over to Jackson's trailer behind Flo's V8 Cafe. He saw Gale still sleeping under the roof near one of the gas pumps, and considered that maybe he was up too early, until he heard some muffled EDM music coming from Jackson's trailer. _Well, he's obviously up…_ He thought as he approached the door to Jackson's trailer.

Jackson didn't see Lightning coming this time, and heard a knock on his trailer door. He turned his music off before he spoke. "Who is it?" He had a pretty good idea of who it was, but he'd still ask.

"It's Lightning." 

It was who he thought it was. "Back up. I'm going to lower the ramp."

Lightning appreciated the warning as he reversed, and the ramp lowered, revealing Jackson. He looked a bit drowsy, but still alert as he rolled down the ramp. 

"Do you always listen to EDM?" Lightning thought that would be a good conversation starter before he eased into what he was here to tell Jackson about. 

"Yeah, champ. It keeps me alert." 

Although Jackson had used the "champ" nickname, it didn't seem malicious this time. Lightning didn't know how he came to that conclusion, but he could just tell. "Oh, okay. Well, I kind of wanted to let you know about something."

Jackson seemed interested as he raised an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

"I managed to convince Sally to let you stay at the Cozy Cone. They have carpeting in there so it's more comfortable to sleep. They also recently got retrofitted with TVs."

Jackson was speechless for a bit as he looked at the Cozy Cone Motel across and down the street. Lightning did that for him? "Seriously?"

"Yeah, you know, I figured you're still aching, and metal flooring isn't really the best for recuperating…" 

Well, that was true, he was still aching, but he wasn't exactly willing to tell Lightning that. "Oh, well, thanks, Lightning." He said, flustered. He wondered how Gale would react. Probably elated, since she was the one who wanted him to socialize in the first place. 

Lightning smirked as he managed to get the usually confident Jackson Storm flustered, but he didn't hesitate to reply. "No problem. Least I could do for a friend of mine." Wait. Chrysler, did he just let that out of his mouth?

Jackson's reaction was immediate as he looked stunned. "What?" Did Lightning McQueen just say he was his friend? He was confused. They were rivals. He thought that was the status quo. Well, maybe ever since yesterday, that was dubious.

Lightning let out a nervous chuckle. "I mean, we haven't been on bad terms, right? I consider that friends. We've also been talking in ways that doesn't involve trash talk like on the race track." 

Jackson's gaze shifted away from Lightning when he mentioned the trash talk. "I guess I'm to blame for that, huh?" 

Lightning realized that he could've said that in a better way. "No, of course not. I didn't mean it that way." 

"It's alright, Lightning. I get it." 

"Look, what's important is that we're talking like we are now. I don't believe in holding grudges against things that have happened in the past."

"Thanks. I appreciate it." 

Lightning had an idea to patch up what just happened. "Hey, uh, Jackson? I want to show you something, if you have time."

That seemed to perk Jackson up a bit as he smirked. "Believe me when I say that I have all the time in the world right now." 

"Alright." He said as he drove off, with Jackson following. 

They soon arrived at Doc Hudson's racing museum, and Jackson looked disinterested. "Lightning, we've already been here." 

"What I'm going to show you is around the side." Lightning said as he drove towards the doors to Doc's garage. 

Jackson followed him along the side of the building, until he saw what Lightning was referring to. "It clearly says 'Stay Out.'" He deadpanned.

"Oh, yeah, we should really get to taking these signs down." Lightning said as he looked at the "Do Not Enter" and "No Trespassing" signs over the doors. "Doc put them up back when no one here knew he was the Hudson Hornet. After he became my mentor, he let me in here."

Jackson rolled his eyes as he followed Lightning inside. The garage was musty, and there were various things scattered all over the sides of it. "I'm not entirely sure what's so interesting in here that you have to show me…" 

Lightning used one of his tires to gesture at a newspaper clipping on the wall. It read "Crash! Hudson Hornet Out For Season."

Jackson stared at it for a few moments before looking back at Lightning, irritated. "Is this your way of reminding me that I got into a wreck?" 

"No. I spent four months in here after my wreck. I was terrified that I'd end up like Doc, who never had a chance to prove himself after crashing." 

"But you didn't end up like him. You came back." 

"Exactly. I wanted to remind you that just because the media says you're over, doesn't mean you're over." 

Jackson was about to retort that he had never doubted his ability to return this season, when he stopped himself. That was a lie, and he knew it. During his time spent in his trailer, he sometimes really thought about the possibility of his sponsor replacing him with someone else. "...Thanks."

"Think nothing of it. Now let's get out of here. It's stale in here." Lightning said as he drove out of Doc's garage.

Jackson followed, until he suddenly stopped when they made it outside. 

Lightning noticed this, and stopped as well. "Is something wrong?"

"I…didn't tell you everything when I explained why I was rude to you." Jackson didn't even know why he was saying this, but he felt compelled to do so.

Lightning didn't know what to make of what Jackson just said. He couldn't tell if Jackson was going to go into it or whether he was going to leave it at that. "You don't have to say if you don't want to." 

"No, it's fine." Jackson said as he sighed. "I'm under a lot of pressure in the racing world. I was the first Next Gen; you know that."

"Yeah, there was a media frenzy when you beat me."

"Being the first Next Gen sounds nice, until you're in that position. You're representing what Next Gens can do, so if you mess up, you're held accountable."

"But aren't the other Next Gens also held to the same standard?"

Jackson shook his head. "Nope. Take Cam Spinner. He crashed during the Florida 500. Did the media say anything about him retiring? No. Meanwhile, I'm held to a different standard, so the moment they find out I got into an accident, they're questioning whether my racing career is over." 

"I'm sorry that you're held to such a high standard, but what does this have to do with you being rude?"

"I was afraid that I wouldn't beat you in that race, and IGNTR would drop me. Acting like that is how I cope." He paused as he looked solemn. "My actions at the Florida 500 were for the same reason."

Lightning remembered how Jackson rammed Cruz into the wall. "But you already had a number one streak by that point." 

"Having a number one streak is bittersweet, Lightning. That just raises the expectations for you even further, and when you lose your streak, it makes the fallout worse."

"Well, you're still with IGNTR."

"Yeah, I know that now. The expectations I had for myself weren't even what my sponsor had." He said as he looked at Lightning. "I'm sorry, for everything."

"You know I forgive you, Jackson. If you explain everything to Cruz, I'm sure she'll forgive you. She isn't one to hold grudges, either."

"Oh, yeah, she's been avoiding me, hasn't she?"

"Can you blame her?"

"I guess not. I should find her." 

"Yeah, I didn't see her this morning, but maybe she's up by now." 

They drove away from Doc's garage back to the main road, where Jackson gestured with his tire to the Cozy Cone. "I may as well check out where I'll be staying for the remaining two weeks, right?" 

"Yeah, of course." Lightning agreed.

As they approached the Cozy Cone, they soon saw the aforementioned Cruz Ramirez coming down the other side of the road. Cruz looked happy to see Lightning, until she saw Jackson with him. However, she saw Jackson looked, how could she put it, somber. She found that uncharacteristic of Jackson, and knew something happened. 

Jackson immediately looked uncomfortable as he drove with Lightning towards Cruz. Well, he had been just talking about apologizing; now was the perfect opportunity to do so.


	9. Making Up with Cruz

"Hey, Lightning." Cruz's eyes darted towards Jackson as she gave him a nervous smile. "Uh, how're you feeling today?" That was a good way to start off, right? 

"Still aching, if I'm being honest." 

"Oh. Well, I hope you have a speedy recovery." 

Lightning was silent as he looked at Jackson expectantly. 

Jackson met Lightning's gaze as he looked back at Cruz. "...I'm sorry for ramming you into the side of the track at the Florida 500. I was a jerk." 

Cruz's eyes widened as she heard what sounded like an apology from Jackson Storm. What? She was stunned into silence.

Jackson shifted awkwardly on his tires. "I was angry that you replaced Lightning, and were about to beat me. It's not just because I'm a sore loser, but I thought that IGNTR would drop me if I lost. You didn't have any experience with racing. You weren't a Next Gen. If I was beaten by you…well, I thought it was game over for me." 

Cruz raised an eyebrow. "That's no excuse to do something like that, though. You did a Chick move." 

Jackson looked down in shame. "I know, and I wish I could go back in time, tell myself that your life won't be over if you don't win this race, and prevent myself from doing that. But I can't, so this is the only thing that I can do. I understand if you don't want to forgive me."

Cruz studied Jackson, and could tell that he was sincere. If Lightning was now hanging out with him, Jackson must've turned over a new leaf, and was genuine in wanting to make amends. "I forgive you, Jackson. I can't imagine being in your tires, but I know it's a competitive world, and can understand why you thought that." 

Jackson had a slight smile as Cruz accepted his apology. "Thanks, Cruz." 

"Was your race here your idea of redemption for yourself?" Cruz asked curiously.

"I guess. It was more of a pride thing, since I felt humiliated. Obviously, it didn't work out like I wanted it to." 

"We don't have to focus on that, though." Lightning quickly said. "All that matters is that you've changed, and we're glad to call you our friend." 

"Friend…I like the sound of that." Jackson said as he smiled. He then looked over at the Cozy Cone. "Oh, I was going to head to the cone I was going to be staying in, right?" 

Cruz looked surprised. "You convinced Sally to let Jackson stay at the Cozy Cone?" She asked as he looked at Lightning.

"Yeah, I should tell you about how I found out about Radiator Springs sometime. It has something to do with that." 

"Oh." Cruz said. Soon, one of her headlights flashed as she seemed preoccupied. "Mr. Dinoco's calling me through Hamilton. I'll talk to y'all later?" 

Lightning nodded. "Yeah. See you, Cruz." He said while waving a tire.

Jackson did the same before he and Lightning drove towards the Cozy Cone, Cruz driving on the main road while talking to Tex Dinoco.

Sally watched from the hotel office as Lightning and Jackson pulled into the Cozy Cone. She could tell that Jackson was friendly with Lightning and Cruz from their conversation on the side of the main road. Maybe he had turned over a new leaf. 

"Lightning, which cone is mine? Or can I choose?" Jackson asked as he looked at the nine cones in a semicircle. 

"Oh, yeah, you have Cone #2." Lightning said as he pointed at said cone with his tire. 

"Cool." Jackson was about to head towards the cone when he stopped. "Hey, Lightning?"

"Yeah, Jackson? What's up?"

"You told me you stay here on that tour you gave me. Which cone do you stay in?" He was curious.

Lightning gave a nervous smile. "Well, um, it's the one next to yours. Cone #1."

Jackson looked at Lightning with a raised eyebrow. 

"I just thought if you wanted to hang out, it'd be the most convenient that way." Lightning paused before speaking again. "Until recently, we only talked on the race track. I kind of want to get to know you better."

"I guess I can't fault you for that." Jackson rolled towards Cone #2, which had its door already open. He rolled up the ramp to the room as he looked around inside. 

It definitely looked homey, with curtains, an alarm clock, and an AC unit. He soon saw the TV attached above the door, and he looked down at the carpeting under his tires. It definitely felt better than his trailer floor, though the room was smaller than his trailer. He could work with that, though.

"So, what do you think?" 

"It's definitely a step up in the comfort department. Thanks." He said as he turned around to face Lightning, a slight smile on his hood. 

"No problem. I should, uh, probably leave you to get settled." 

"I'm not going to get settled in here yet, Lightning. I have to tell Gale. If she's up, that is." Jackson rolled down the ramp to make his way to Flo's V8 Cafe. 

"Oh. Well, I'll be in my cone if you need me." 

"Alright." Jackson replied as he drove across the main road to where Gale was next to one of the gas pumps. She was obviously awake, as she waved with one of her tires when she saw him coming. 

"I saw you with Lightning and Cruz by the main road when I woke up. I'm glad you're making friends." Gale said happily. 

Jackson rolled his eyes. "It's not like I didn't have you and Ray. I have to admit though, it's nice talking to them. I'm surprised they accepted my apologies so quickly." 

"Wait, what?" Gale was shocked by how much Jackson had changed. "You said it's nice talking to them? And you apologized? What happened while I was asleep?" Not that these changes weren't welcome; she just didn't expect Jackson to say those things.

Jackson deadpanned. "I should take a shot of oil every time someone has an engine attack when they've heard I apologized. Though yeah, Gale, I apologized to both Lightning and Cruz for being a jerk. You know why I was a jerk to them." 

"I'm happy for you, Jackson. You keep to yourself at every race during the Piston Cup. Next season will be different." 

"Yeah. I guess I was focused too much on racing. Though I actually came here to tell you something." 

"What is it?"

"Lightning was nice enough to convince Sally to let me stay at the Cozy Cone for the rest of my time here. He said the carpeting there is better for sleeping."

Gale's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yeah, I was confused too when he told me. I got flustered. I never get flustered." 

"Well, I wouldn't say never." Gale teased as she laughed.

Jackson gave Gale a playful glare. 

"Anyway, I'm glad you're able to stay there. It's definitely more comfortable."

"Agreed." Jackson replied.

Gale idly wondered why Lightning was being so nice to Jackson, when she knew he had been a jerk. "He must be a very forgiving car." 

"I guess. My cone's next to his. He said he wanted to get to know me better." 

"That's not a bad idea. Maybe you two will become best friends." 

Jackson laughed. "Hah. The media would have a field day with that. Rivals become best friends."

"There is such a thing as having a friendly rival, you know." 

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind that."

"You mean you'd like that." 

"Hmph. Yeah, you're right." Gale knew him too well. "I'm going to go make myself at home in my cone. I'm going to be there for about 2 weeks, after all." 

Gale nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that's a good idea. Have fun." 

"I will." He replied as he drove off, back to the Cozy Cone Motel. He arrived at his cone, and used the button on the floor to close the door to his cone once he was inside. He had a sense of contentment that was different than what he felt after winning a race. It was different, but he couldn't place a tire on it. _Maybe I'll find out during my stay here._ He thought.


	10. Friendship

Jackson was going to stay in his cone until he realized that he forgot to thank Sally, the owner of the Cozy Cone. Lightning and Cruz had both given him a second chance, which motivated him to act differently from now on. He hit the button to open the door to his cone as he drove down the ramp, towards the motel office.

Sally had stopped watching when Jackson went into his cone, and was reading a book when she heard the sound of tires. She assumed that Lightning was stopping by again, until her gaze turned toward the opening on Lightning and Jackson's side of the motel, and she saw Jackson Storm heading towards her office. Well, she had been curious as to whether Jackson Storm had turned over a new leaf; this was her opportunity.

Jackson drove into the motel office before stopping in front of the counter Sally was behind, looking a bit sheepish as opposed to his usual confident demeanor. He recognized her as one of Lightning's pit crew, but he had never bothered to learn her name until Lightning told him on the tour he gave. 

"Sally, right? Thanks for, you know, letting me stay at your motel. I really appreciate it." He thanked as he awkwardly shifted on his tires. He had to be less awkward when he was trying to be nice…

Well, if there was any doubt Jackson Storm had turned over a new leaf, it was gone. Sally could tell he was genuine. It was still unbelievable, however, that who she knew as a jerk was now thanking her. "You're welcome. You know, Lightning wasn't unlike you when he first came here."

"Yeah, everyone kind of noticed that he changed when he came back from Radiator Springs. I guess he was only my role model before that, heh." 

"That doesn't matter, though. I've learned to not hold grudges. Anyone deserves a second chance." 

Jackson smiled with gratitude. "I appreciate it. The racing world puts pressure on rookies, and it's very easy to handle it by being a jerk. Not that I'm making excuses or anything, but, you know what I mean…" 

"Yeah, I can understand that. Well, I hope you enjoy your stay here, and recover quickly. Let me know if you need anything." Sally then gazed behind Jackson and looked concerned, which prompted Jackson to turn around to see what Sally was looking at.

Lightning and Cruz were talking by the main road, and Lightning looked slightly upset. Of course, they were too far away for Sally and Jackson to hear anything, but they could tell that something was going on. 

"I'll do that." Jackson said as he continued looking at Lightning and Cruz talk. "If you don't mind, I'm going to go see what's up." 

"Yeah, sure." Sally replied as Jackson drove out of the motel office. She hoped that it was nothing serious going on.

Jackson saw the two racers look at him as he approached. "Hey Lightning, Cruz. What's up?" 

Lightning looked at Cruz, obviously expecting her to explain. 

Cruz sighed before she spoke. "Mr. Dinoco wants me to go to the Dinoco Racing Center to go train for the next Piston Cup. I can understand that; it'll be my first full racing season, after all. I kind of wanted to stay here longer before I had to leave, though. It's nice here."

"Yeah, we're planning on telling the whole town so we can give her a proper goodbye." Lightning added.

"Oh. Does that mean you have to go too, Lightning?" Jackson sounded calm, but he was scared if both Lightning and Cruz had to go. He had just made amends, and he wanted to hang out with them some more. 

"Nope. Even though Tex owns both, Rust-eze and Dinoco are separate. Dinoco, of course, is more prestigious, so I think Tex wants Cruz to train earlier. Also because, no offense, she's newer to racing." 

"Well, have fun training, Cruz. We'll compare simulator hours at the first race of the season." Jackson half joked. 

"Heh, you'll definitely have more than I do, Jackson, but thanks." 

Jackson smirked before looking at Lightning. "When were you planning on gathering everyone, Lightning?" 

"After Cruz and I talked. Her trailer's already on the way so we don't have much time. Maybe you could help getting everyone together?" 

"Yeah, I can get Gale. I was just talking to Sally as well." 

"Oh, what did y'all talk about?" 

"I thanked her for letting me stay in her motel. I figured it was...the right thing to do." 

Lightning smiled. "That's really nice of you, Jackson."

"Yeah, I'm glad you're our friend now. You're a cool guy to hang around." Cruz agreed.

If Jackson could blush, he would. "You're flattering me, guys, stop it. Anyways, I'm going to head to the motel office since I just came from there. I'll see y'all when you convene with everyone else." 

"Sounds like a plan." Lightning replied as Jackson drove off. He then followed Cruz as they notified everyone else.

Jackson soon entered the motel office once again, and looked at Sally. "Tex Dinoco called Cruz to ask her to head to Dinoco to go train for the next racing season. He's sent a trailer over, and Lightning's planning on convening everyone to wish her goodbye when her trailer arrives." He explained.

"Oh, that's probably why Lightning looked upset. Cruz is his protege." Sally mused.

"Yeah. This is Dinoco we're talking about, though. They're known to have the best racers, and it's probably because they train early on to have the most experience." 

"I hope Tex doesn't push Cruz too hard." 

"Tex seems like a nice guy, from what I've heard from Lightning. It's probably because it's her first racing season, as she said." 

"Well, he did let Mater ride in a Dinoco helicopter, so I could believe that." 

Jackson looked at Sally with a raised eyebrow, but didn't say anything about it. Lightning would probably tell him about it at some point when they hung out again. He then glanced at Flo's V8 Cafe, where Gale was. "I'm probably going to go tell Gale the news as well."

"Of course. See you, Jackson." 

Jackson waved goodbye with a tire as he exited the motel office, and headed to Flo's V8 Cafe across the main road. "Hey, Gale. I have some news." 

Gale looked up from the can of oil she was sipping from. "Really? What is it?" 

"Cruz is leaving town. Tex called her to ask her to go to Dinoco for training. He's sent a trailer over, and Lightning's currently working on getting everyone together to wish her goodbye once her trailer comes." 

"Oh, I hope she's alright with training so soon. It's only been about a week since the end of the racing season." 

"Well, Dinoco keeps its prestige by training its racers early, it seems. She's already talented, so the training will be more reinforcing concepts rather than learning anything new, I think.”

“Wow, you called her talented. You really have changed.” Gale half-joked.

Jackson rolled his eyes. “When I considered someone a threat, it meant I thought that they were talented enough to beat me.”

“Yeah, I know. I’m glad you’re publicly complimenting others now. It’s nice.” 

“You make it sound like I was a total jerk.”

“Not to me or Ray, but to others? Yeah.”

“Ouch. You don’t mince words, do you?”

“Nope. Nevermind that, though. All that matters is that you’ve changed for the better. I think Ray will be excited when he finds out.”

Oh, dang. Speaking of Ray, he forgot to call. “That reminds me, I haven’t called in two days. I hope he’s doing alright.”

“Well, your trailer is still there behind Flo’s. It’d be a good idea to check on him.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that. See you, Gale.”

Gale waved with a tire as she went back to sipping from the can of oil.


	11. Farewell to Cruz

Jackson pulled up to the ramp of his trailer, and then reversed up the ramp. He pushed a button to bring down the tablet, so he could video call Ray. He waited for a while before Ray picked up, his face pulling up on the screen.

Ray waved with a tire. "Jackson! How're you doing? Still aching?"

Jackson did the same. "Yeah, not as bad as when I was in the hospital, though."

"I'd hope not. I'm glad to hear you're feeling better." 

"How're you doing with the reporters? I saw you on the news."

"Chrysler, they were basically mauling me. I'm glad the whole thing's simmered down, at least somewhat."

"Thanks for having my back. Honestly, retirement…" Jackson rolled his eyes.

"I've told you about them. They'll make up anything to have a story to put out."

"Whatever. I'll show them when I return at the first race of the Piston Cup." 

"That's the spirit! How are you holding up in Radiator Springs?"

"Surprisingly…well." 

"Really? I was bracing myself for a bunch of complaints, and you begging the head of IGNTR to reconsider."

"You know that he wouldn't do that even if I tried to persuade him to over the phone." 

"Yeah, you're right. So how're you staying occupied during your stay there?" 

"Uh, well…I've been hanging out with Lightning and Cruz." 

Ray looked like he had an engine attack. Jackson? Hanging out with Lightning and Cruz? As friends? "Who are you, and what have you done with Jackson Storm?" 

"It all started when Lightning knocked on my trailer. He wanted to give me a tour of Radiator Springs."

"How'd that go?"

"The town's as boring as it looks, though they had a museum for the Hudson Hornet which was cool." 

"Huh, though how did that lead to you two becoming friends?"

"Well, he kind of called me out for being rude to him when we first met. So I apologized."

"You did what? Not that that's bad, of course, but I thought you hated Lightning." 

"Emphasis on hated. He made me feel better when I was venting about what the media was saying about me." 

"Oh, right, because he went through the same thing." 

"Yeah, and that's not all." 

"What?"

"He convinced the motel manager here to let me stay at the local motel. He said the carpeting would be more comfortable for me to sleep."

"Wow. I can understand why you'd become friends with him." 

"The weird thing is that he chose the cone right next to the one he stays in."

"I guess he wants to get to know you. It's not a bad idea, in my opinion."

"I know what you're going to say. I had no friends besides you and Gale."

"It's true though. If Lightning's obviously willing to make amends, why not?"

"Yeah. He's a nice guy."

"How'd you make amends with Cruz, though?"

"I found her and apologized. She was hesitant at first, understandably, but she forgave me too."

"Now you have two friends in the racing world." 

"Well, I'll probably have more in general once these remaining two weeks have passed…"

"You're talking with Lightning's friends as well?"

"Mhm. I talked with the motel manager, Sally, to thank her for letting me stay in her motel. I think word's going around I've changed among the locals, anyway. It's a small town." 

"That'll make it easier so you don't have to tell everyone."

"Yeah. Oh, Cruz is also heading out today, so I'll have to hang up soon to go meet everyone at Flo's to say goodbye."

"Why's she leaving?"

"Tex Dinoco called her. She's starting her training at the Dinoco Racing Center for her first racing season." 

"Oh, well I wish her luck." 

"Yeah, me too. I'll call you in a few days, Ray." 

"You'd better. Have fun. Let everyone know I said hi." 

"Yep. Hang in there if the paparazzi come back." 

"Hah, security will ensure that won't happen. Bye."

"Bye." Jackson hung up and stowed the tablet away on the ceiling of his trailer. He then drove down the ramp to head to Flo's, where he saw Lightning had gathered all of the residents of Radiator Springs.

Lightning waved at Jackson with a tire as Jackson pulled up next to Gale. 

"I heard you're our friend now, dude. That's, like, so rad, man." Fillmore said as the rest of the cars murmured in agreement. 

"I might've included that you've changed when I was calling everyone together." Lightning said to Jackson as he winked. 

"Thanks. Makes it easier, heh…" Jackson said.

"So, Cruz, when's your trailer coming?" Lightning asked.

"Mr. Dinoco said in several hours. I just want to hang out with y'all before I have to go." Cruz obviously wanted to stay in Radiator Springs.

"If it makes you feel better, I go back to work in two weeks. And as you like to say, you can use anything negative to push through to the positive." At least that's what Jackson recalled Cruz saying to him during the race.

Cruz lit up. "Wow, Jackson, you listened to my advice!"

"Yeah, well, don't let it go to your head…" 

"Nah, I'm just happy that I gave you advice, and you remember it." 

"Oh, well, I'm glad." 

"Cruz gave me plenty of advice when I was training for the Piston Cup. Some of which may or may not have included aerobics and naming my tires." Lightning said as he smiled knowingly at Cruz.

Jackson looked at Lightning with a raised eyebrow. "Aerobics? Naming your tires?" 

"Hey! The aerobics were to loosen up your ancient joints, remember?" 

Lightning looked annoyed as Jackson and everyone else snickered. "Hey, he's my role model. Be nice. Though what was naming the tires supposed to accomplish?" Jackson asked.

"Lightning's been known to treat his tires badly, so I thought that'd help." Cruz said, referring to the number of times Lightning had gotten flat tires during Piston Cup races.

"If anything, Cruz, it made me hate them even more." 

"Yeah, that's why you use your anger as your motivation!" 

The day was filled with more funny stories and conversation until a honk was heard, and Cruz's trailer pulled up, just as the sun was setting.

"Wow, Cruz, the exterior looks nice." Lightning said as he looked at Cruz's name, picture, and racing number 51 printed on both sides of the trailer. 

Jackson took a peek at the interior. It was bare, of course, but they had pre-painted the inside with her racing number as well. "Yeah, the interior, too."

"Thanks, guys." Cruz said as she pulled up to the ramp, turning around to wave goodbye. 

"Hey, you're going to do great. I'll call you when you get there, alright?" Lightning said.

"Don't overwork yourself." Jackson added. He knew from experience that there was a tendency to do so when you're new, and trying to prove yourself. 

"Alright, Lightning. Thanks, Jackson; only if you do the same when you head back to IGNTR." Cruz said as she reversed into her trailer. "Bye!"

Everybody replied "Bye!" as Cruz's trailer door closed, and her hauler soon headed off towards the interstate. After watching Cruz's trailer disappear from their line of sight, everyone started to disperse, except for Lightning and Jackson. 

Jackson headed to his cone, shutting the door after he reversed in. He'd stay up for a bit longer, probably wasting time by watching TV before sleeping in his cone. "Only if you do the same, huh?" He thought aloud. He'd try, but that didn't mean he wouldn't work hard when he returned. He had to make up for lost time.


	12. Jackson's Guilt

After Cruz left for Dinoco, Jackson spent the next few days talking more with the locals at Flo's V8 Cafe, since that's where they usually hung out. All he could say was that some of the residents were...interesting, but in a good way. He found that this experience broke the monotony that his first year in racing was starting to become, and he figured maybe that was why Lightning had these guys as friends.

Jackson exited his cone as he stretched his front and back tires one morning. He definitely got better sleep at the Cozy Cone, since he didn't wake up during the night. He drove across the main road to get a can of oil to drink from at Flo's V8 Cafe. Gale was still sleeping, but he saw Lightning drinking from a can of oil already, who he was happy to see.

He pulled up next to Lightning, who was diagonal from Gale, after getting the can of oil he came here for. "Morning, Lightning." 

Lightning looked up from his can of oil when Jackson pulled up next to him. "Morning, Jackson. How's your achiness?"

Jackson sighed. "Still there, but better. It's annoying…" 

"Eh, you'll be completely healed in no time if you're feeling better after what, a week? It took me longer." 

"How long did it take for you?" Jackson inquired.

Lightning seemed to sadden. "A month. You know how bad my wreck was." 

Jackson cringed as he realized that he said something wrong. Bringing up Lightning's wreck was a bad move. "...I didn't mean to bring it up. Sorry." 

"Nah. If anything, that wreck taught me that I can't be the best at everything." Lightning reassured. 

"In that case, I can't be the best at everything either." 

Lightning bumped Jackson playfully with his tire to cheer him up. "Hey, we all have weaknesses that other racers can exploit. The trick is to use your times of weakness as motivation to do better." 

Jackson wasn't expecting the tire bump, but he smiled afterwards. It was nice being friends with Lightning. "Got that from Cruz, huh?"

Lightning smiled. "Yeah, her methods are unconventional, but she taught me a lot. I'm glad I could repay her by giving her what she always wanted to do." 

"I guess Sterling didn't let her, from what I understand of it." 

"Partially that, but that's not all. She was intimidated by the other racers during her first race, and just never raced again after that because she felt like she didn't belong." Lightning explained.

Jackson thought back to what he said at the Florida 500. _You don’t **belong** on this **track!**_ Of course, he was referring to the fact she had replaced Lightning, but he didn’t know what that meant to her at the time. It must've been devastating to her. “I…didn’t know that during the Florida 500.”

“Jackson, you already apologized. Cruz knows you didn’t mean it.” Lightning said. 

Jackson sighed. “Thanks, Lightning, but that doesn’t mean I should let my temper cloud my thinking.” He still couldn't believe that Cruz accepted his apology. 

“You know, I lost my temper at Cruz after I got found out at Thunder Hollow. I blamed her for that when it was my idea to go there in the first place. Understandably, she resigned as my trainer. I apologized in the form of dancing to an aerobics song, and saying sorry to the beat of the music until Cruz agreed to get back in my trailer and to become my trainer again to make me stop." Lightning recounted.

Jackson looked amused at that mental image that he just conjured up. Lightning McQueen dancing to aerobics. "Well, I'm glad my apology didn't come to that, Lightning. By the way, a lot of cars, including me, would pay good money to see that." 

Lightning visibly cringed. "Trust me, you wouldn't want to. It's extremely cringe-worthy." 

"All the more reason why cars would pay good money to see that." Jackson said, obviously having fun teasing Lightning. 

"I thought cars avoided things that were cringe-worthy?" Lightning questioned, confused. At least that's what the racing veteran thought. 

Jackson smirked. "Not if the cringe creates comedic effect. Everyone loves that." 

Lightning rolled his eyes. He wanted to change the subject before Jackson had another opportunity to tease him about it. He then thought of something that he thought Jackson would like. "Hey, do you want to see something cool?"

Jackson raised an eyebrow. "Depends on what your definition of 'cool' is." 

"I think that you'll think it'll be cool. We can also talk without disturbing Gale." Lightning said as he gestured at Gale, who was apparently a heavy sleeper, as she hadn't woken up during their conversation.

"Alright…" Jackson followed Lightning as he drove towards Willy's Butte. He wasn't exactly sure where Lightning was planning on heading, but he was still intrigued nonetheless.

Lightning was going at quite a clip, and seeing his crash site somehow made the achiness slightly worse. Probably because it reminded him of his wreck. "Hey, uh, Lightning? I'm aching a bit here." He wasn't going to outright tell him to slow down, but he hoped Lightning was shrewd enough to take the hint.

Lightning realized what Jackson meant, and slowed down to keep pace with Jackson. Jackson wasn't going slowly by any means, but Lightning was just eager to show him what he was talking about. "Sorry. I forgot." Lightning apologized.

"It's fine." Obviously, Jackson didn't like seeing the race track he crashed on, not even sure if all of his debris was cleared up yet. Well, it probably was, but seeing the track made him pessimistic.

They soon passed Willy's Butte to Jackson's relief, and the road entered an area of the desert that had more trees. It looked as though they were driving through a forest, even though the desert wasn't very far away. Jackson was still wondering what Lightning had to show him, as he meandered around the many bends in the road.


	13. Wheel Well

He could see shortly after exiting the "forest" a tunnel up ahead, which he turned his laser headlights on for a short while before they exited the tunnel, and Jackson looked ahead in awe and wonder. "Is this what you meant?" He asked Lightning, as he slowed down to take in the giant waterfalls before his eyes. 

"No, but we can stop here for a while." Lightning said as they pulled over to the side of the road, just before the bridge. 

Jackson wasn't sure what Lightning thought was cooler than this, as he gazed at the waterfalls. "Wow. I didn't think that there'd be something like this in the middle of a desert." 

"Me neither. It's nice to see stuff like this; away from the hustle and bustle of the city." 

"Agreed." Jackson said as he stared at the waterfalls some more before looking back at Lightning. "However, you said this wasn't what you were talking about." 

"Yeah, you ready? It's not far from here." 

"Yep." Jackson said as he started driving the same time Lightning did, meandering around some more bends in the road before they reached the summit, and Lightning turned to the right. 

Jackson followed Lightning to the ledge, and soon realized what Lightning was talking about when he said "something cool." "This is definitely something cool…" He remarked as he looked to the right, where the waterfalls were, panning to the left where he could see Willy's Butte and Radiator Springs. 

"I like coming up here when I need to clear my head or just rest for a while."

"I can see why this place would be the best for that. No distractions, and a beautiful view."

"Mhm. Sally showed me this place first when I was stuck here." 

"She said that I was like you when you were first here." 

"I can see that. You're a rookie, I was a rookie. You're a sore loser, I'm a sore loser. You've changed, I've changed." 

"I guess that's why I got compared to you when I came out. Well, besides the reformed part." 

Lightning laughed. "That's one thing the media's right about."

"Yeah. You know what Sally also said?"

Lightning raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"You somehow managed to get Mater a ride in a Dinoco helicopter."

"Ah, yeah, way back when. Tex Dinoco actually approached me after I pushed The King past the finish line. He offered me the Dinoco sponsorship, but I declined."

"You did what?" Jackson looked incredulous. Every race car wanted that sponsorship. He was sure that Lightning was no exception.

"Well, Rust-eze gave me my big break. I kind of felt guilty thinking of ditching them like that, so I stayed with them. Tex said he understood, and that if there was anything he could do, I should let him know. Mater told me he always wanted to have a helicopter ride, so I asked Tex if he could arrange a helicopter ride for Mater, and he gladly did it." 

"Mater must've been grateful." 

"Definitely. He was overjoyed when he made it to the ground." 

Jackson turned around, since he saw a building on his left when he reached the summit, but was preoccupied with the view, so he didn't get a close look at it. "Wheel Well Motel?" He read off of the sign on the facade which was shaped like a wheel. "There's another motel around here?"

Lightning turned around when Jackson did. "Nah, it's now a restaurant. I've got no idea why they kept the original name and didn't shorten it to just 'Wheel Well' or something like that."

"They don't look open." Jackson remarked. There were no cars going in and out, and from what he could tell through the windows, there were no cars inside.

"We're here before they're open; it's morning."

"Oh." Jackson said as he turned back around to look at the view again. 

Lightning did the same, just admiring the view while they were here. 

Jackson was looking at the road leading to Interstate 40 from Radiator Springs, when he felt a slight pressure on his left headlight. He looked at where the pressure was, and realized that he was unconsciously leaning on Lightning. He quickly righted himself, looking embarrassed. 

Lightning also felt when Jackson started to lean on him, and he looked at Jackson when he righted himself. It was definitely weird, but Lightning…didn't mind it. Maybe even liked it. Though he'd ask the question, since the atmosphere was now awkward. "Uh, Jackson? What was that?"

"I accidentally leaned on you. Sorry." That was all he could think of as he shifted awkwardly on his tires. He didn't even know why he leaned on Lightning, since he only realized that he was doing so when he had already done it. The worst thing was that it felt nice. He felt uncomfortable now when he righted himself. What was wrong with him?

"I mean, if it's more comfortable for you that way, I don't mind." Lightning wasn't entirely sure what he was saying with that, but he knew that Jackson said that he was still aching, and he didn't mind Jackson resting on his side. 

"What?" Wasn't it a little…no, it wasn't like that, not if he didn't make it that way. "Well, if you say it's alright." He slowly rested on Lightning's side again, and he knew for sure that it felt good.

Lightning felt Jackson lean on his side again, and he knew that he was understating when he said that he didn't mind. It was…nice to be this close to his former rival now friend.

They stayed that way for a while, until Jackson stopped leaning on Lightning, getting tired of the view. "I think we can head back, Lightning. Thanks for taking me out here."

"Yeah, Jackson, no problem. Everyone has to go to this place at least once if they're staying in Radiator Springs, in my opinion." 

"It's a very nice place." Jackson replied as they started driving back to Radiator Springs. 

They spent the rest of the drive back in silence until they arrived back at Flo's V8 Cafe, when Lightning spoke.

"It was nice hanging out with you, Jackson. Especially the leaning part." 

Jackson looked flustered when Lightning said that. “It was nice hanging out with you too. The leaning part was…nice." He still didn't really know what to think of his leaning on Lightning, especially since they had done that for quite a while, and neither him nor Lightning seemed bothered by it. 

"Well, I finished my can of oil here, so I'm going to go back to my cone. You know where to find me if you want to talk some more or anything like that." Lightning said before he drove away, back to his cone at the Cozy Cone Motel.

"Yeah, thanks again, Lightning." Jackson said as he went back to where his can of oil was still sitting. He had only gotten a few sips out of the can; he hoped the oil hadn't gone stale in the few hours he had spent with Lightning. Gale was now awake, and she smiled as she gestured with a tire to the spot next to her.

Jackson knew she probably wanted to know what happened, and he pushed his can of oil towards the spot next to Gale as he parked next to her. 

"Where'd you go with Lightning? You looked a bit flustered when y'all came back."

"Lightning took me to this lookout point where you could see Radiator Springs and some waterfalls. The view was picturesque."

"You'll have to take me there at some point. I'm jealous." 

"Yeah, I will. We talked a lot, but while we were looking at the view, I kind of, um, leaned on him." 

Gale looked at Jackson curiously. "You mean you physically leaned on his side?" 

"I didn't even know I was doing such a thing until I was already doing it. Don't ask me why." 

"How did Lightning react?" 

"He said he liked it. I'm afraid that it came across as glorified cuddling, to be honest…" 

Gale laughed. "That wouldn't be so bad, would it?" 

"I don't know, Gale. It's good for me. Bad for my image."

"Your image is the whole reason why you had no friends besides Ray and I. No offense." 

Jackson deadpanned. "Thanks, Gale. I really appreciate you pointing out my sucky past social life. I'm concerned, though. Do friends cuddle?" 

"Depends. Some do. I think it's different though, Jackson, now that I think about it." 

"What's different?" 

"Your relationship. Think about it. Lightning was the first to talk to you when you kept yourself in your trailer. He convinced Sally to let you stay in her motel. He picked your cone as the one right next to his. He talks to you the most nowadays. He brought you to a nice secluded lookout. Now you're cuddling." 

"That wasn't cuddling. I was leaning on him probably because I was aching, and tired from the drive to the lookout." 

"Whatever you say. Do you know what I'm getting at?"

"Um…we're best friends?"

Gale rolled her eyes. "No, I'm saying that I think Lightning is crushing on you." 

Jackson was shocked into silence when Gale said that. "Gale, if this is a joke, it's not funny." 

"It's not. That's my honest opinion." Gale insisted.

Jackson thought about it. Yes, it made sense, but really? Lightning? Crushing on him? Why him? Sure, he had reformed, but had Lightning liked him from the beginning? And what about himself? 

Well, he had gotten along with Lightning ever since they started talking, and he liked hanging out with him, and he especially liked when they "cuddled." He had actively spoken to Lightning first today instead of Lightning coming to him, and he had always considered Lightning his role model, and he admired him, and he- His train of thought cut off as realization hit him like a ton of bricks. 

"Chrysler…" He exclaimed. 

"What?" Gale asked, obviously curious as to what was going through Jackson's head.

"I think I'm in love with Lightning McQueen."


	14. Confessions

Gale almost spit out the oil she was drinking. "Wait, what?" She paused before she spoke again. "I knew it was true, but I didn't think you'd actually say it." 

"I said that-" He cut off as he realized what Gale just said. "You knew? How?" 

"Jackson, you never get flustered with anyone except Lightning, and you said you liked leaning on him, since you don't want to admit it was cuddling. You liked physical contact with him. You've been hanging out with him more frequently. Need I say more?" 

"Alright, alright, I get it." Jackson said as he took another sip from his can of oil. "I don't know what to do, Gale. I thought that the feelings I had were just happiness that I found a friend." 

"Did you feel the same way hanging out with Cruz?" Gale asked.

Jackson was silent. Cruz was nice to hang out with, but he had to agree it was different. With Lightning, he definitely felt a connection, probably because they were similar. Lightning cheered him up when he thought about his wreck, and he confided in him first as to the pressure that was put on him in the racing world.

"No. I didn't. I now know that those were…other kinds of feelings." 

"In regards to what to do, maybe you should tell him how you feel. I brought it up that I think he's crushing on you." 

"What if you're wrong though? That'll ruin our friendship if he doesn't feel the same way." 

"I doubt Lightning is the type of car to do something like that, Jackson." 

Jackson sighed. "I'm just scared of what could happen."

"You'll never know unless you go for it. Besides, you said that he said he liked you leaning on him." 

"Yeah, he did. I'm not sure what that's supposed to convey, though." 

"Well, maybe you could ask him about that at first, and then segue into talking about feelings." 

"That's an idea, but I have to think about this some more. I'll head to his cone tonight, since he said that I could come over if I wanted to talk." It'd be less likely for someone to see him entering Lightning's cone at night.

"That sounds great, Jackson. I'm rooting for you." 

"Thanks, Gale. You always do. Whether it's racing, or…other things." He said as he looked over at his cone. "If you don't mind, I'm going to head to my cone to wrap my head around what's going on." 

"Go ahead. I understand this is scary for you, but you're Jackson Storm. You can handle anything." Gale reassured. 

"Heh, I am." He replied as he finished his can of oil, and drove off to his cone. That's right. He was Jackson Storm. He'd bring it up with Lightning in the least awkward way possible tonight, and he'd see how it went from there. 

He entered his cone and shut the door, as he thought about his feelings for Lightning he didn't even know he had. He'd been thinking about Lightning more than ever; since he had been stuck here, actually. He never thought of Lightning as anything more than competition when he first met him, hence his joy at beating him.

However, he didn't treat him like any competition. He went out of his way to trash talk him specifically during races, whether it was mentioning retirement, or pointing out all of his friends had retired or been fired, and that he was one of the last veterans left. Of course, he had changed now, but he still thought back to the previous Piston Cup racing season. _Was that the start of my feelings for him?_ He wondered. 

Perhaps he interpreted it as anger, when that passion was really something else. Just thinking about Lightning made him flustered now. His kindness, his confidence, his...attractiveness. Wait, what? Sure, Lightning was handsome. He was too. But did he really just think of Lightning like that? He looked at himself in a mirror that was in his cone.

An anxious, lovestruck, black and blue race car stared back at him. He sighed. There was too much running through his head to make any sense of it. He'd just wait until tonight, when he planned on talking to Lightning. 

The day seemed to drag on forever, as Jackson tried to pass the time until nightfall by watching TV, or taking a drive outside while mingling with some of Lightning's friends. When he saw Lightning, he tried his best to act natural and wave with a tire, but he was pretty sure that Lightning probably noticed something was bothering him. 

Finally, the sun had set, and it was pitch black outside, save for some street lamps which lit up the main road. He saw that the lights were still on in Lightning's cone next door, which meant he was still awake. He opened the door to his cone, as he rolled down the ramp, and turned right to head to Lightning's cone. 

Lightning saw Jackson exit his cone from his left side window, and idly wondered what Jackson was doing at night, until he heard a knock on the door in front of him. He assumed it was Jackson as he pushed the button to open the door, revealing Jackson looking pretty anxious. He had wondered what was up with Jackson ever since they came back from the Wheel Well Motel; maybe he'd get his answer.

"Hey Jackson, what's up?" 

"Hey Lightning. Um…could I talk to you in your cone?" 

"I'd love to talk, but if you want to do it in here, it's a bit tight." The cones were meant for one car, and the circular shape made it an awkward fit.

"Oh." Jackson tried to think of a solution until he thought of something. "We could talk in my trailer. There's more space." 

"Well then, lead the way." Lightning said as he exited his cone and closed the door. He hadn't ever seen the inside of Jackson's trailer, and he was curious as to what it looked like.

They soon arrived at Jackson's trailer parked behind Flo's V8 Cafe, and Jackson hit the button to lower the ramp from the outside. He reversed up the ramp, and turned on the lights as Lightning followed him. Jackson raised the ramp and lowered the window blinds, for privacy, since he was planning on talking to Lightning about private matters. 

Lightning looked around. It was a standard trailer interior, although the colors inside matched Jackson's black and blue color scheme. There were very few personal belongings on his shelves, save for a few pictures of him and Ray, and him and Gale. "You have a nice trailer, Jackson. What'd you want to talk about?" 

"Thanks." Jackson replied as he tried to put what he was thinking into words. "I've been thinking about our trip to the Wheel Well."

Lightning wasn't sure where Jackson was going with this. "Okay, what about it?"

"When I started leaning on you, and you said it was fine. Then, when we came back, you said you especially liked that part. What'd you mean by that?" 

"Oh, I said that?" Lightning asked as he nervously laughed. He really let that slip out. "It was nice. It kind of felt like cuddling, if I'm being honest with you." 

"Gale said that too…" 

Lightning was worried by how Jackson responded. "I mean, it wasn't cuddling. It was a long drive, I know, so you rested on me." 

"Lightning, it's fine. I know it was cuddling, and I enjoyed it." 

"Heh, sorry…I didn't know if you wanted to call it that."

Jackson looked at Lightning. Well, that was the end of that subject. If he wanted to tell Lightning, he had to do it now. "I actually wanted to tell you something else…" 

"What is it?" 

"Well, we've been friends for the time I've been here, right?" 

"Yeah, Jackson. There's no doubt about that." 

"Nothing will break our friendship, right?"

"Nothing." 

Jackson took a deep breath. He looked at the race car he was now in love with before he spoke. "Lightning, I love you. I don't think of you as a friend anymore. You're more than that to me." 

Lightning's eyes grew wide when Jackson confessed to him. Jackson Storm? In love with him? Since when? Yes, they were friends, but he never thought Jackson liked him in that way. He looked into those blue gray eyes, and then glanced at the black and blue paint scheme on that sleek frame. Most importantly, Jackson had changed. He'd been nice to him, and he realized that the cuddling at the Wheel Well was a sign of affection. 

He soon felt butterflies as if it was a sign of confirmation that he, indeed, loved Jackson back. It's funny how he felt this way to someone who he hated not so long ago. "Jackson…I love you too." 

Jackson smiled as he felt a rush of joy. It wasn't the same as when he won a race. It was like he was complete. "You don't know how happy I am, Lightning." He said as he touched tires with Lightning. 

Lightning shivered at the contact as he rolled closer to Jackson, and he soon touched Jackson's hood as he nuzzled him. "I could say the same, Jackson." 

Jackson nuzzled back, enjoying the moment. It was bliss.

Lightning didn't know what came over him, but he was daring, and closed the gap between them as he kissed Jackson.

Jackson was caught off guard by the kiss, and all of his thoughts immediately went to Lightning kissing him. Chrysler, it felt amazing. His eyes shut as he kissed Lightning back, never wanting it to end. 

Lightning shuddered as he continued to kiss Jackson. His eyes were also shut as he focused on the feeling of Jackson's lips on his. 

Soon, they broke apart as they both opened their eyes and panted. Both stared lovingly at each other, still thinking about the kiss, before Jackson broke the silence.

"That was the best thing I've ever felt." Jackson said, looking a bit dazed.

"Yeah…we definitely belong together. A storm does go better with lightning, doesn't it?"

The line was cheesy, but it sounded like the most romantic thing ever to Jackson in that moment. "It does, Lightning. All the more reason why I love you." 

"I love you too." 

Jackson nuzzled Lightning for a few moments, enjoying the feeling until he thought of something. "When are we going to tell everyone?"

"We can tell them tomorrow. I don't want the media to find out about it yet, though."

"Agreed. They'll find out at the next Piston Cup."

"What, are we going to kiss when we meet each other in front of the cameras?"

Jackson smirked. "Yeah." 

"Wow. Okay then." 

"Think of it as my way of getting back at them for saying when I'm done." 

"Well, I would like to see the look on their faces…"

"Exactly." He said as he sighed. That kiss had tired him out, and he wanted to sleep. "I think we should head back to the Cozy Cone. That kiss took everything out of me." 

Lightning laughed. "I'm just that good, huh? Alright, let's go." 

Jackson lowered the ramp as he turned off the lights in his trailer. Lightning reversed out, and Jackson followed. Soon, they were back at the Cozy Cone. 

"Night, Lightning. I'll see you in the morning." Jackson said as he waved with a tire, before heading to his cone.

"Night, Jackson." Lightning replied as he did the same thing.

Jackson closed the door to his cone once he was inside, and then closed his eyes. He couldn't believe Lightning loved him back. He sighed with contentment as he slowly fell asleep.


	15. Telling Ray

Jackson woke up the next morning in his cone, remembering the events of last night with Lightning. It wasn't a dream. He had confessed his love for Lightning, he reciprocated, and they kissed. He wouldn't have ever dreamed of them kissing, yet it happened last night. 

Today was the day that he and Lightning would tell everyone they're together, and then he'd tell Ray separately. He hoped that his crew chief would take the news well. Of course, he and Lightning trusted everyone they told that they wouldn't divulge anything to the media until they were ready. 

He exited his cone and rolled down the ramp, heading to Flo's to see if Lightning was up. He wasn't there, and Gale was still sleeping like always. Maybe he was still sleeping? Probably not; Lightning was usually up before he was. So where would he be?

Jackson thought of the most possible place he could be; Doc's garage. He drove down to the Hudson Hornet Racing Museum, and stopped short of the doors to Doc's garage. He used a tire to nudge one of the doors open, and sure enough, he saw Lightning in there. Lightning's tail was faced towards him, so he spoke to let Lightning know he was behind him. 

"Hey, Lightning. What're you doing in here?"

Lightning sighed as he turned around to look at Jackson. "Just thinking of Doc."

"I know he meant a lot to you."

"Yeah, he was my crew chief and mentor before he died. Sometimes when I'm faced with difficult situations, I wonder what he would do." 

"I can understand that. I usually talk to Ray about my problems." Ray was his Doc Hudson. 

"You're lucky you still have your crew chief to talk to."

Jackson touched Lightning's tire with his tire to comfort him. "I'm sure he was a great mentor."

Lightning seemed to cheer up a little. "Thanks, Jackson. I'm glad that you're here for me."

"If anything, I should be thanking you. You gave me a second chance; now look where we are." 

"I'm glad I did. Did you want me to gather everyone so we can tell them about our relationship?"

"Yeah, that'd be nice. I'll go tell Ray while you do that. It'd be better if I tell him first thing, anyway…" He looked a bit anxious.

Lightning noticed this, and was concerned. "Are you worried about how he'll react?"

"A bit. I know there's nothing to worry about since he's always been supportive of me, but he'll definitely be shocked." 

"I think everyone will be. I mean, who thought we'd be together?" 

Lightning had a point; he himself didn't even think that what happened last night would happen. "Good point." 

They both drove out of Doc's garage as they went their separate ways; Jackson to his trailer, Lightning to the motel office to go tell Sally first.

Jackson arrived at his trailer as he lowered the ramp, raising it once he was inside. He took a deep breath as he lowered the tablet, waiting for Ray to pick up after he video called him. Ray soon came on his screen, waving a tire. 

"Hey, Jackson. You're up pretty early." 

"Heh, not that early. The sun's been up for a while."

"How's the achiness today?" 

"Better. To be honest, I only feel it when I try to drive fast."

Ray looked displeased as he frowned. "Which you shouldn't be doing."

"I know, I know. If you want to blame anyone, blame Lightning. He took me out for a drive."

"Ah, I was going to ask you how hanging out with Lightning was going over the past few days."

"It's been going well." Jackson paused as he looked away from the camera. "Really well…" 

Ray wasn't sure how to interpret that. "Is something wrong?"

"Well, uh, how do I put this?" Jackson smiled nervously. "Lightning and I are in a relationship." 

Ray was speechless for a few seconds before laughing. "Hah, good one, Jackson. Really funny." 

Jackson deadpanned. "I'm serious, Ray. We're together."

What? He was serious? His racer who he thought was just becoming friends with Lightning was now in love with him? What happened? "How'd that happen? I didn't even know you swung that way." 

"I didn't either…" Jackson replied as he thought about how to summarize what had happened. "When Lightning took me out for a drive, he brought me to this nice lookout that had a great view of Radiator Springs. I kind of leaned on him by accident, but he said that it was fine, and that I could continue if it wanted to. I did, and after a while we headed back, and I told Gale about it. She said that she thought Lightning was crushing on me because of all that he was doing for me, with the whole convincing the motel manager to let me stay at her motel, and choosing my cone to be next to his."

Jackson paused as he got his train of thought together. "I did some soul searching, and I realized that I was in love with Lightning. I approached him later that day at night, he reciprocated, and that was it." 

"Wow, um…" Ray was still trying to wrap his head around what Jackson had told him. "I'm happy for you two. Have you told Gale?" 

"No, Lightning's currently gathering everyone so we can tell them. He's probably going to call Cruz so she knows, too." 

"As your crew chief, I have to ask. This won't affect your racing, right?"

Jackson rolled his eyes. "You have nothing to worry about, Ray. I'm not going to let him win every race just because I love him." 

"I never said that."

"Yeah, but I knew what you were getting at. I'm glad you're happy for us, though." 

"You seem happier, Jackson; anything that makes you happy makes me happy."

"Ray, Lightning and I don't want the media to know yet, so can you keep it a secret?"

"I've been keeping your stay in Radiator Springs a secret; I can handle it." 

"Thanks, Ray, you're the best. I'm going to go outside to go see if Lightning's gathered everyone." 

"Alright, Jackson. Good luck telling everyone."

"Thanks, bye." Jackson said as he waved a tire, and hung up.

Ray sighed as he reversed away from the tablet. Jackson with Lightning? He never thought that would happen, ever. Jackson seemed happy, though, and that's what was important.


	16. Surprise Announcement

Jackson exited his trailer after his talk with Ray, and he saw Lightning with everyone in Radiator Springs at Flo's V8 Cafe, along with Gale, who was looking at him curiously. He stopped next to Lightning, who he hoped would speak first.

Lightning took the hint and spoke. "Hey y'all, thanks for gathering here. I said that there's something important that I wanted to tell you guys, but I think I'll let Jackson say it." 

Jackson looked unsure, but spoke anyway. He couldn't stay silent, and let Lightning say everything. "Lightning and I are in a relationship."

Everyone looked surprised and shocked, except for Mater. "Well, yeah! Y'all are friends, aren't ya?" 

"Not that kind of relationship!" Sarge growled.

"They're in love, man." Fillmore added.

Mater immediately matched the rest of the group's facial expressions by looking shocked. "…Oh."

"Yeah, Jackson and I found out that we loved each other last night." Lightning said.

Gale looked at Jackson knowingly with a smirk while he gave a slight smile in response. 

"But Jackson showed nothing but disdain to you only a month ago." Sarge pointed out.

"I believe cars can change, and Jackson's done exactly that." Lightning said as he looked at Jackson.

"Keep in mind Lightning was here for the span of a week, and he changed completely as well, Sarge." Sally added.

"Thank you both." Jackson said. 

"Well, you seem happy, buddy, and that's all that matters!" Mater said, as the rest of the cars murmured in agreement. 

"Thanks, you guys. By the way, Jackson and I want to keep this a secret from the media until the next Piston Cup. We're not ready for the whole world to know yet." 

"No one besides us will hear anything about it, Stickers." Sally asserted.

"Great, we don't need another influx of reporters around here like what happened previously. That's all I wanted to say, guys." 

The residents of Radiator Springs soon started to disperse as Jackson nudged Lightning's side with his tire. "Hey, Lightning, thanks for doing most of the talking for me. I didn't really know what to say." 

"I could tell you were nervous. How'd it go with Ray?" 

"He took it well. He's happy for us, which is good. I also made him promise to say nothing to the paparazzi."

"That's good. I'll probably call Cruz now…"

"Of course." Jackson said before he nuzzled Lightning. "I'll see you afterwards, right?"

Lightning returned the nuzzle before they separated. "Yep. See you." He said as he drove off to his cone to make the call. 

Jackson then headed over to Gale to talk to her after the announcement. "What was that look you gave me?"

Gale laughed. "I kind of figured you two would end up together after what I said. Lightning was crushing on you as I said, you reciprocated, voila." 

"True. I'm glad it turned out that way. It'd be awkward if he didn't like me in that way like you said he did." 

"That wasn't the case, though. I'm glad it worked out. You two are kind of cute." 

Jackson looked away in embarrassment. "What do you mean, Gale?"

"C'mon, Jackson, you two are basically made for each other. You and Lightning are both racers, competitive, and cocky. He was a rookie, you are. Even your names with the Lightning and Storm thing are similar. Need I say more?" 

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Alright, alright, I get it. We're soulmates, and we didn't even know it." 

"Exactly." Gale said triumphantly. "To be honest, Jackson, I'm glad you challenged Lightning to that race." 

"I wish it didn't involve me wrecking…"

"Jackson, nothing would've stopped you from your incessant training otherwise." 

Jackson knew Gale was right, but he wouldn't admit it. "Whatever. The important part is that things worked out the way they did, and I now have Lightning McQueen as a boyfriend." 

"Did you two kiss?" Gale pried. 

"Gale, what kind of question is that?" 

"It's an innocent question…"

"No, it's not." Jackson said as he rolled his eyes. "I guess I can tell you, though. Yes, we did, and it was wonderful."

"I bet it was. Have you told Ray yet?" 

"Yeah, I did. That's why you saw me coming out of my trailer."

"How'd it go?" Gale asked.

"It went pretty well. He looked like he was about to have an engine attack when I first told him that Lightning and I were together, though." 

Gale laughed. "I can imagine that. He was happy for you both, I hope."

"Yep. Of course, he made sure my relationship with Lightning wouldn't affect my racing."

"Well, he's your crew chief. I'd expect that."

"He was under the impression that I'd go easy on Lightning."

"And I assume you won't go easy on him?"

"Are you kidding me? Of course not!" 

"That's good."

Jackson then saw Lightning coming out of his cone at the Cozy Cone down the main road. "Lightning called Cruz to give her the news; I'm going to go see how that went." 

"Go ahead. I'm sure Cruz probably had a similar reaction to Ray's." 

"Yeah, probably." Jackson said as he drove away to head to where Lightning was. "Lightning, how'd it go?" He asked as he approached Lightning.

"Pretty well. Cruz asked me whether I was joking with her or not." 

"Ray did the same thing. Must be such a shock that they think we're joking." 

"Heh, yeah. She said that I need to give you an affectionate nickname now."

"Ugh…you don't _need_ to." 

Lightning smirked. "Well, I don't need to, but you already have 'champ' for me. It's only fair." 

"To be fair, Lightning, I haven't used that nickname in a while."

"True, true. I get your point." 

"So, how's Cruz doing at the Dinoco Racing Center?"

"She's doing pretty well. As a trainer, she's already familiar with all of the training equipment, so it's just her using that equipment a lot more." 

"Glad to hear that. She might not say the same thing after a few months though."

"Tex has actually let her take multiple breaks."

"Well, Ray did too, but I just didn't take them." 

Lightning frowned. "When you get back, you should."

"Yeah, I will. That was related to the whole thing about me being afraid of falling behind." 

Lightning smiled as he nuzzled Jackson. "I'm glad that you've realized that losing one race doesn't mean the end of your career." 

Jackson leaned into the nuzzle as he smiled as well. "Me too."

They stayed that way for a while before they slowly separated. "Hey, uh, what do you say to having our first date tomorrow? Since we're together now." Lightning asked.

"We kind of already had one at the lookout, but what'd you have in mind?" Jackson asked, excited at the prospect of a date.

"Well, there's not a lot to do around here, but maybe we could have a drink at the Wheel Well?"

"Sounds great, Lightning. I'm looking forward to it." 

"Same here." 

They soon parted, but both delighted in that they'd soon be back together at the Wheel Well tomorrow evening.


	17. Awkward First Date (Explicit)

Moans and pants filled Jackson Storm's trailer as two race cars kissed inside. Jackson was pushed to the rear of his trailer by Lightning McQueen as they kissed, and both gasped as they broke apart. 

Jackson soon felt a tire caress his undercarriage as Lightning moved even closer, kissing different spots on his hood. He moaned as he tried to reciprocate, but he got sloppy as the pleasurable sensations running through his frame became too much. 

Lightning captured his lips again, and his tongue explored the inside of his mouth, while one of his tires still kept on caressing parts of his undercarriage he didn't even know were sensitive. He visibly shuddered from pleasure and arousal, but he didn't want to be fully dominated. He pushed back against Lightning's tongue with his, and it soon became a sensual fight for dominance. 

Lightning moaned into the kiss, sending vibrations through his mouth, which made Jackson give in, and he felt Lightning exploring his mouth again. However, the kiss couldn't go on forever, and Jackson soon broke off the kiss as he panted. 

The end of the kiss between them didn't deter Lightning, though, as he used his tires to push Jackson onto his rear tires, which he didn't expect. "L-Lightning! What are you doing?" 

Lightning smirked. "You'll find out." He caressed Jackson's undercarriage further and further down, until he reached the part just under his rear bumper. "Open up." 

The Next Gen did find out, as he slid back his panel, and let out a sharp gasp when Lightning engulfed his length. He didn't even think it was possible, but it felt way better than a kiss. His front tires rested on Lightning's roof, as he felt that mouth doing sinful things. "Ngh! Lightning!" 

He groaned as he felt arousal pooling in his undercarriage. Oh, he was almost there…

* * *

Jackson jolted awake, panting as an alarm clock went off in his cone. He looked around frantically, slowly coming to a realization. He wasn't in his trailer; he was in his cone. _It was a dream?_ He wondered as he slowly came to his senses. He had dreamt about doing _that_ with Lightning. He knew one thing: he was not going to confide in Gale about that. 

Sure, he did that for most things, but not this time. This was something he had to figure out on his own. _It's too early in our relationship._ He resolved. Forget about that dream. He tried to calm himself down. Of course he wanted to do that, but not now. 

Time moved slowly for Jackson Storm that day, and he was glad when he met up with Lightning outside his cone. He had stayed in his cone more than usual, in an effort to not give anything away if he acted awkwardly as a result of last night's dream. This didn't go unnoticed by Lightning, and he wondered what was up with Jackson. 

"I'm excited, Lightning." Jackson said as they drove off to the Wheel Well.

It sounded natural enough, but Lightning could tell something was up, though he'd bring it up later. "Me too. I'm sorry there's not much to do around here in terms of dates…" 

"Nah, don't worry about it. The only important thing is that I'm with you." Jackson said, trying to sound romantic as he looked at Lightning,

It obviously worked, as Lightning faltered in his driving, swerving a bit. "Heh…there was a pothole." 

Jackson smirked. "Yes, a pothole that wasn't there two days ago miraculously formed." He was obviously amused by how Lightning reacted.

"Fine, fine. I didn't expect to hear that from you." Lightning admitted.

"Looks like all I gotta do to win against you is flatter you incessantly." Jackson joked.

Lightning didn't seem amused. "Jackson…"

Jackson stopped laughing. "You know I'm kidding. I'd never do that to you. I love you." 

"I love you too." Lightning replied, as they continued driving to the Wheel Well.

They soon arrived, and Lightning went inside to fetch them cans of oil to drink on, while Jackson looked at the sunset. Somehow, the view looked even better with a sunset backdrop.

Lightning came back with the cans of oil, and he pushed one next to Jackson. "Enjoying the view?" He asked.

"Yeah. I guess I've never learned to appreciate stuff like this because I've always been in the city." 

"I think that applies to a lot of racers."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

Lightning figured that this was an appropriate break in the conversation, where he could bring up what he wanted to ask Jackson. "Hey, Jackson?"

Jackson looked at Lightning with a raised eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"Is something bothering you?" 

Wait, does he know? "No, nothing's bothering me, why'd you ask?" He lied. 

"You only left your cone to get oil today, and during our drive you seemed preoccupied." Lightning explained. 

Apparently, he was bad at hiding things. "I had a bad dream. That's all." It was a half truth; yes, it was a dream, but it was the exact opposite of "bad."

"Oh. It must've been a bad nightmare." He knew nightmares could affect how you acted the next day; he wanted to get out of Radiator Springs when he dreamt that a tractor won the Dinoco sponsorship.

"Yeah, you could say that." 

That response puzzled Lightning, since it implied that he wasn't entirely right. "What was it about?" 

Jackson was silent for a bit. Did he really want to answer that question truthfully? A nagging voice in his head told him that maybe Lightning had thought of the same things too. The question was whether he was going to listen to that voice, and tell the truth.

Lightning was afraid that he had pried too much before Jackson spoke. "I'm going to be honest with you, Lightning. It wasn't a nightmare." 

Lightning raised an eyebrow, looking at Jackson confusedly. "I'm not sure where you're going with this." 

"It was a good dream."

"Okay, what was so special about it that you were preoccupied with it?" 

Jackson sighed. "I'm not sure if I want to tell you. It's…embarrassing." 

"If you don't want to tell me about it, you don't have to." 

"No, it's alright. I don't want to hide anything from you." There was a pause before Jackson spoke. "I dreamt that you and I were in my trailer, like how we were two days ago." 

"Okay…" 

"We were kissing. Then, it became more than that. I don't think I have to continue." 

Those words stunned Lightning. "Y-You dreamt of that?" He stuttered. 

"Yes, I did. Now you know why I've been acting weirdly today." Jackson looked away from Lightning, embarrassed. 

"Oh. Well, I'm flattered…" He was more than flattered. Suddenly, he found himself thinking of what Jackson described. It wasn't a bad idea. A good idea, even… He found himself looking over that sleek, black and blue frame again, while Jackson was looking away. Of course, he loved Jackson for who he was, but that didn't mean that he didn't think of Jackson as a handsome car as well.

Jackson realized that Lightning was staring at him, and he looked back at Lightning. "Lightning?"

Lightning quickly averted his gaze. "Ah, sorry. I guess you talking about that affected me, you know?" 

"Yeah, sorry. Forget I ever mentioned it." Jackson said, looking away again. He knew it was a mistake to mention anything. 

"That's not what I meant." Lightning let his tire roam to Jackson's side as it touched Jackson's.

Jackson looked at Lightning's tire on his, then at Lightning, bewildered. "What?"

"Well…what you said has been kind of making me think about the prospect of doing that with you."

Jackson's mouth was agape before he realized it was, and he closed it. Suddenly, he felt those butterflies again. "You really think we're ready for that?"

"Obviously, you think we're ready." Lightning teased as he smirked. 

Jackson wasn't amused. "I was asking you, Lightning." 

"I think we are." Lightning simply said before he kissed Jackson, in a way confirming what he said.

Jackson didn't expect Lightning to kiss him, but he didn't hesitate to kiss back, bringing a tire up to hold Lightning's side. He closed his eyes as he moved forward slightly, deepening the kiss.

Lightning felt Jackson licking his bottom lip, and he got the hint as he parted his lips, allowing Jackson to dominate the kiss and explore the inside of his mouth with his tongue. He moaned into the kiss, which caused Jackson to do so as well. Soon, they parted, as both panted while looking at each other lovingly. 

"Hah…maybe we should go back to my trailer. We just did that in public." Jackson said as he looked around. Thankfully, no one was around.

"Good idea." Lightning threw away the finished cans of oil, and set off to head back to Radiator Springs. Jackson followed eagerly as the sky darkened.


	18. In the Trailer (Explicit)

The darkened sky helped to hide their return to Radiator Springs; most were indoors by this point. Lightning and Jackson drove in by a side road that led to the rear of Flo's V8 Cafe, keeping them well hidden for those who were still out. 

Jackson quickly opened his trailer door, and closed it after Lightning drove up the ramp. He had just enough time to close the door, and lower the window shades before Lightning kissed him. He moaned as he kissed back; it was just like his dream, except that this was happening in real life.

Lightning deepened the kiss as he rolled forward, bringing a tire up to cradle Jackson's side as he kissed him. 

Jackson shuddered as Lightning kissed him deeper. The kiss felt passionate. Really passionate. He knew for sure that he loved Lightning, and Lightning loved him. He gasped as they broke apart, and he was stunned into silence.

"Just like your dream, huh?" Lightning joked as he smirked at Jackson.

"Yeah…just like it." Jackson replied as he looked at Lightning half-lidded.

Lightning gave a light chuckle as he kissed along Jackson's hood, pushing him further back in his trailer until he hit the wall. The Next Gen moaned as Lightning ran a tire along his undercarriage as well. His engine revved as an outward sign of his aroused state. 

"Someone's excited." Lightning teased between kisses.

Jackson loved the feeling, but he wanted more. Now. "Stop teasing, Lightning…" Both physically, and verbally. 

Lightning obliged as he pushed Jackson onto his rear tires, giving him more access to the other's undercarriage. He nuzzled it, and caressed up and down, drawing out more moans and gasps from Jackson. When he had his fun, he wedged himself underneath Jackson, licking at his panel. 

Jackson soon opened at the touch, his tongue slightly out as he panted. He still couldn't believe that this was happening, for real this time. 

Lightning gave an experimental lick to Jackson's length, which rewarded him a low moan in response. Spurred on by the sound, he continued licking from the base to the tip and back down again, bringing out more sounds of pleasure from Jackson.

"Feeling good, Jackson?" 

Jackson was losing the ability to be coherent, and struggled to speak while Lightning licked at his member. "W-What do you think?" 

Lightning chuckled. "Oh, I know from how vocal you are. But you're gonna feel even better." 

Without warning, he engulfed Jackson's length with his mouth, moving back and forth. 

Jackson cried out, shutting his eyes as he instinctively started thrusting into Lightning's mouth slowly, wanting more of the waves of pleasure that were rolling through his undercarriage and frame. The heat of Lightning's mouth was only adding to it.

Lightning sped up as he sucked on Jackson's shaft, wanting to hear more gasps of pleasure from the Next Gen. Jackson dominated on the race track, but that didn't mean that he couldn't dominate him in other ways. 

Jackson moaned as he opened his eyes again, because Chrysler, Lightning was going faster and the pleasure was growing to unbearable heights. He shuddered again as he felt something pooling in his undercarriage. He knew that he was getting close, and reaching his peak was inevitable. 

"L-Lightning, I'm close…" He warned between panting. 

Lightning tightened his seal on Jackson's member as he continued sucking and licking, awaiting Jackson's release. 

"Ah, Lightning! I'm gonna-" He cut off as he came, crying out in pleasure. 

Lightning smirked around Jackson's length as he swallowed most of his seed, pulling back afterwards and licking up what leaked from his mouth. He rolled backwards until Jackson was on his four tires again.

Jackson took awhile to come down from his high, panting as he looked at Lightning with glazed over eyes. "T-That was incredible…"

Lightning looked smug. "If you thought that was incredible, I don't know how you're gonna describe what I do next." He said.

Jackson's mind blanked for a bit before he realized what Lightning was implying. "Wait, you wanna do that?" 

The Next Gen's hesitation worried Lightning, as his smug expression fell. "I mean, only if you want to…"

Well, he'd be lying if getting fucked by Lightning McQueen wasn't appealing at the moment, especially in his aroused state. "My dream didn't make it that far, but I want you. Now." With that, he captured Lightning's lips in another kiss. 

Lightning moaned into the kiss as he slid back his panel, revealing his neglected length thus far. He pulled away as both race cars tried to catch their breath. "Turn around…"

Jackson obliged, turning around. He felt a shudder roll through his frame in anticipation for what Lightning was going to do. 

Lightning carefully mounted Jackson, letting his front tires rest on Jackson's roof while he positioned his length. He gingerly started to enter Jackson, not wanting to hurt him. 

Jackson became keenly aware of Lightning's front tires on his roof, but all of his thoughts quickly turned to Lightning's shaft invading his entrance. He sucked in a sharp gasp as he tried not to make any noise letting Lightning know that he was in pain, though his facial expression would definitely give it away, if Lightning could see it. 

Lightning couldn't, but could tell that Jackson was tensing up, which signalled to him to stop. "Are you alright?"

"Fine." Jackson said through gritted teeth. It would get better with time, wouldn't it?

Lightning slowly tried going further into Jackson, but he could tell Jackson was still very tense. He stroked Jackson's side with a tire to try and distract him from the pain. It worked, as Jackson moaned a little at the feeling, and he felt Jackson loosen up a bit. 

"C'mon, Lightning…go all the way in…" Jackson wanted more of what he was feeling, now that he had loosened up.

Lightning moved forward further until he was up to the hilt, which earned him a deep moan from Jackson. "Are you ready?" 

"Yeah…move already." Jackson said, now feeling a lot more pleasure from Lightning inside of him. 

Lightning slowly moved out of Jackson's entrance until only the tip was inside, and then he thrusted back into the hot and tight opening. 

Jackson cried out in pleasure as Lightning thrusted into him, trembling on his four tires. He felt waves of pleasure coursing through his frame from his rear as Lightning continued thrusting in and out. "Ngh! Faster!" He wanted more of Lightning.

Lightning followed Jackson's command as he sped up the pace of his thrusts, drawing more moans and cries of pleasure from Jackson.

Jackson panted as he lost himself in the ecstasy, his tongue lazily hanging out of his mouth as he felt Lightning tighten his grip on his roof with his front tires, which only added to the pleasure. "Chrysler, Lightning, keep going…" 

"You're so tight, Jackson…" Lightning groaned as he continued thrusting into Jackson. Lewd sounds filled the air as both cars made love, Jackson moaning with each thrust and Lightning gasping when he plunged himself back into Jackson.

Jackson definitely couldn't think anymore as he huffed. The pleasure was becoming immense, and it was building up to the point where he knew there was no return. "L-Lightning! I can't hold it back much longer…"

"Same here…" Lightning said as he thrust into Jackson one last time, crying out in pleasure as he shot his load into Jackson. "Ah! Jackson!"

Feeling Lightning's seed filling him set Jackson off, as he came on his trailer floor. "Oh, I'm almost there…ngh! Lightning!" 

They were both silent as they panted, riding out the last of their climaxes. Lightning then slowly pulled out of Jackson, rolling off of his roof so that he was back on his four tires.

Jackson felt Lightning unmount him, and he turned around to face Lightning when he felt Lightning's tires no longer on his roof. He smiled as he nuzzled Lightning. "That was amazing, Lightning. I love you." 

"I love you too, Jackson." Lightning said as he nuzzled back.

Jackson pressed a button on a side panel to dim the lights as he and Lightning soon fell asleep in each other's company, tired from their love making.


	19. Tractor Tipping (Innuendo)

Jackson Storm groggily opened his eyes slightly as light flooded the inside of his trailer. He closed them again as he cuddled into the warmth against his hood. Wait, he was in his trailer? He usually woke up with no warmth on his hood as well. He fully opened his eyes as he suddenly remembered the events of last night as he stared at Lightning McQueen opposite him, who was still asleep as their hoods touched.

He couldn't believe that they actually did that last night, but he wouldn't have it any other way. He smiled as he resumed cuddling Lightning's hood. He had nowhere to be. Even if he did, he wouldn't be able to leave anyway because Lightning was blocking his trailer door. 

Soon enough, Lightning started to wake up to Jackson cuddling him. Not that it was unpleasant. The exact opposite, actually. He smiled as he cuddled back. "Good morning." 

"An _especially_ good morning." Jackson replied as he nuzzled Lightning, which Lightning reciprocated. 

They stayed that way for a while, enjoying each other's company until they separated. 

"How'd you sleep?" Jackson asked.

"Very well, thanks to you. You make a great pillow." 

Jackson gave a light chuckle in response to Lightning's romantic comment. "I could say the same for you." 

Lightning laughed along with Jackson. "I hope last night didn't make you sore."

"Nah, I stopped feeling achy when stationary a few days ago. Even when going fast, I barely notice it." Jackson explained.

"That's good to hear. Maybe in a few days I can teach you how to take that second turn at Willy's Butte. We've both been slacking in training for the Piston Cup." 

The smile on Jackson's face disappeared at the mention of Willy's Butte. He clearly disliked even the mention of that race track.

Lightning immediately realized that he said the wrong thing and nuzzled Jackson softly in an attempt to cheer him up. "Sorry. Forget I said that." 

"No, it's fine." The Next Gen seemed to have a new sense of resolve as he perked up. "As you said, we've been slacking, and I'd feel better if I beat that race track." 

"Are you sure?" Lightning asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm Jackson Storm. I'm not gonna let a sharp left turn stop me." Jackson asserted.

Lightning grinned. "That's the Next Gen I know and love." 

Jackson averted his gaze, flattered. "Stop it, Lightning. We're not gonna make it out of my trailer." 

Lightning smirked. "Who said that's a bad thing?" 

"As much as I'd love to, we'd better show ourselves before someone suspects something."

"I guess you got me there." 

Jackson pushed the button to lower the trailer ramp as Lightning backed out of Jackson's trailer, Jackson rolling forward after Lightning had cleared the ramp. He then pushed the button to close it from the outside. Remarkably, no one saw them exit his trailer, as they were hidden behind Flo's V8 Cafe. 

"So, what're you going to do today, Jackson?" Lightning asked.

"I'm not sure, to be honest." Maybe he'd hang out by the waterfall they passed by on the way to the Wheel Well. That was nice.

Lightning then had an idea. "Hey, why don't you go tractor tipping with Mater and I?"

"Tractor tipping?" Jackson repeated, unsure as to what that was. "What's that?" 

"You come up in front of one of the tractors in the pasture, and either honk your horn or rev your engine. They fall over, and trust me, it's comedy gold." 

Jackson raised an eyebrow, unconvinced. "That's your idea of comedy gold?" 

"C'mon, Jackson. You were going to do nothing today, right?" 

"I guess I have nothing better to do…" 

"Exactly. Follow me." Lightning said as he drove towards Tow Mater's Towing and Salvage. 

As they neared the entrance, the two race cars could see that Mater was asleep under his shed. Lightning approached Mater and whispered. "Psst…Mater." 

"Hm, what?" Mater mumbled as he slowly opened his eyes, not fully awake. He soon, however, saw Lightning and Jackson, and perked up. "Oh hey buddy!"

"Hey, Mater. You wanna go tractor tipping? Jackson doesn't know what it is." 

"Well, shoot, of course I do! Especially if it's Jackson's first time."

"What are we waiting for then? Let's go!" Lightning said as the three of them drove off to the tractor pasture. 

They soon arrived, and the tractors were all sleeping, spaced out from one another in the field. Jackson didn't look all that impressed, but again, he had nothing to do; it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. 

"This is gonna be fun!" Mater said as he snuck up in front of a tractor, and honked his horn. The tractor immediately woke up, rolled forward a bit, and fell over, letting out a puff of air from its engine once it was completely on its back. 

Mater and Lightning both broke into laughter while Jackson just stared at the fallen tractor, slightly confused. "You both have too much time on your tires."

"Aw, c'mon Jackson. Try it." 

"I don't even have a horn. You don't have a horn. All race cars don't have horns."

Lightning rolled his eyes. "That's why I rev my engine instead. Just don't do it too loud." 

"Alright…" Jackson approached one of the sleeping tractors slowly, idling in front of it before revving his engine softly. The tractor didn't seem to hear, and stayed asleep. He looked at Lightning and Mater, annoyed. 

"You might have to do it louder." Lightning suggested.

Jackson sighed as he turned back to the sleeping tractor, revving his engine a lot louder than he did last time. The tractor immediately woke up, and Jackson quickly reversed as the tractor rolled forward, but he didn't see the tractor tip over fully, as he became aware of other tractors around him doing the same thing. His engine rev was definitely louder than anticipated. 

Soon, all of the tractors had tipped over, and the ground shook a little as all of them let out a puff of air simultaneously. Jackson chuckled as he found amusement in that he managed to topple all of the tractors at once, but he stopped when Lightning and Mater looked wary. 

"What? You told me to do it louder." 

"Yeah, but toppling all of them at once risks-" Lightning was cut off as a loud roar was heard in the distance. 

"…Who was that?" Jackson asked, now apprehensive. 

"That's Frank." Mater said as he took off.

"Wait, wha-" Jackson and Lightning turned around, face to face with an angry combine harvester. 

Jackson let out a scream that he wouldn't admit to, as both he and Lightning took off, Frank in pursuit. "You didn't tell me about Frank!" He yelled as they ran for their life. 

"Sorry!" Lightning yelled back as they followed Mater to find a way to escape. 

Jackson found his tail getting dangerously close to the harvester, and he sped up to avoid becoming scrap metal. "Please tell me there's a way out of here!"

"There's a hole in the fence that's wide enough for us, but not for Frank!" Lightning said as he sped up as well, to be safe. They soon found the hole, and all three of them drove through, Frank stopping behind the fence, defeated. 

The trio continued running until they were far away from the tractor pasture, as they slowly stopped. Jackson panted as he checked behind him one more time, to ensure that the combine harvester wasn't still chasing them. 

Mater started laughing, which surprised Jackson, as laughter was definitely not a reaction that he would be expecting after almost getting turned into scrap metal. "What are you laughing about? We almost got killed!" 

"Nah, Frank's slow enough that he won't catch you. If I can outrun him, you two race cars definitely can. Besides, you gotta admit that was fun!" 

"My oil pressure says otherwise…" Jackson grumbled. 

"Yeah, spinning blades of death wasn't fun." Lightning agreed. "But you toppled all of the tractors, just like I did. That's cool." 

"I guess." Jackson half-heartedly concurred. Weren't there other ways to have fun that didn't involve possible death? 

"Maybe we could just hang at Flo's for the rest of the day. Enough excitement, right?" Lightning suggested.

"Yeah, the only excitement I like is during a race." Jackson agreed.

Mater thought of something and lit up. "Hey, maybe I could teach you backwards driving like I did Lightning!"

"Nah. That's Lightning's thing. If I adopt all of his techniques he won't be able to beat me." Jackson smirked.

"We'll see about that, Jackson." Lightning replied. In the past the exchange might've seemed hostile, but it now had a whole different meaning. 

"You two have fun! I gotta restack the tire pile near my yard. Red knocked it over again." Mater said.

"What's wrong with Red?" Lightning asked, concerned about what made Red sad.

"He was watering the flowers around Stanley's statue and one of the flowers fell off." 

"Oh. Did you need help with that?" 

"Nah. I'm used to doing it by now. See ya!" Mater said as he drove backwards into his yard.

Lightning and Jackson waved goodbye to Mater as they headed to Flo's, where some of the locals were gathered along with Gale, as it was now around lunchtime. Jackson waved at Gale before he pulled up into the spot next to her, and Lightning filled the spot next to him, after they had both gotten their cans of oil.

"So, where'd you go with Lightning this time?" Gale asked curiously.

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Lightning thought it was a good idea to go tractor tipping with Mater." 

"Hey, I didn't know that you'd rev your engine that loud!" Lightning protested.

Gale was just confused. "What's tractor tipping?" 

"Certain death if you wake up Frank…" Jackson groused.

"C'mon, you laughed when you tipped all of 'em at once. Basically, tractor tipping is coming up in front of a sleeping tractor, and honking your horn or revving your engine to wake them up. They fall over, and it's pretty funny." 

"Okay, then who's Frank?"

"Frank's the combine harvester who protects the tractors. He'll come after you if you wake him up." Lightning explained.

"You mean you three got chased by a combine harvester?" Gale asked, wide eyed.

"Yep. Don't tell Ray. He wouldn't be pleased to hear that." Jackson stated. 

"You're supposed to be resting, you know." 

"Pssh, please. I'm basically already back to normal. No achiness. Not even when running from spinning blades of death." Jackson replied dismissively.

"You sure about that, or are you just telling me that to get me off of your bumper?" Gale asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I actually haven't been hurting for the past few days now, Gale. Really." Gale could be nagging at times, but Jackson knew it meant Gale cared about him as a close friend, and he appreciated it. 

Gale smiled. "That's good, then. When you head back to IGNTR you'll be in tip top shape." 

Jackson's face fell when he heard what Gale said, as reality hit him. He'd return to Las Vegas in, what was it, slightly more than a week? He probably wouldn't see Lightning physically until the next Piston Cup. "Right. When I head back to Vegas." 

Lightning noticed Jackson become downcast, and he had an inkling as to why. "Hey, we can still video call each other."

"It's not the same." Jackson sighed. "3 months is a long time." 

"We'll see each other at the first race of the Piston Cup, and make the media lose their minds." Lightning smirked. 

"Heh, yeah. I guess you're right." Jackson agreed, perking up a bit. 

"You two really are made for each other." Gale commented, grinning.

"Gale…" Jackson whined, embarrassed. 

"Hey, I take it as a compliment." Lightning said as he nuzzled Jackson.

Jackson smiled as he nuzzled Lightning back, as Gale and the others present looked on knowingly. Even thought he'd have to leave, he'd make the most of the time he had left in Radiator Springs.


	20. Willy's Butte (Innuendo)

It had been a few days, and Jackson was chatting with Lightning in front of Lightning's cone at the Cozy Cone Motel. He tried to be out as much as possible to make the most of his time in Radiator Springs, of course to talk to Lightning's friends, but especially to Lightning himself. After all, he wouldn't see him physically until the Piston Cup.

"You know, your paint job is looking a little faded. You should go to Ramone to give you a fresh coat of paint." Lightning pointed out.

"Nah." Jackson replied. "Then I'd have to wait for it to dry, and I wouldn't be able to do this." He proceeded to cuddle into Lightning's side. 

Lightning laughed as he leaned into Jackson's touch. "You have a point." 

Jackson then remembered that Lightning offered to teach him how to take the second turn at Willy's Butte. He hadn't mentioned it ever since then, probably for his benefit, but he wanted to take the bulldozer by the horns. "Did you want to teach me how to take that turn today?" 

Lightning's expression turned serious when Jackson asked the question. "The one at Willy's Butte?" He didn't need the clarification, but it was more of an automatic response out of surprise.

"Yeah. That one. Think of it as training for the Piston Cup." 

Lightning was hesitant, but Jackson was a strong car. It'd be their first time training together as well. "Alright, lets go." He replied as the two drove off to Willy's Butte.

They soon arrived at the rock formation, and they pulled up next to each other at the start line. "Doc taught me the trick about the second turn. You have to turn right to go left." Lightning recalled.

"Turn right to go left? Don't you just drift the turn?" 

"You drift, yes, but if you drift too much you'll skid. You have to countersteer a bit by turning your tires to the right when your tail starts skidding to regain traction, so you'll stay on the road." 

Jackson huffed, slightly annoyed. "Simulators never taught me this." 

"Well, the speedways we race on during the Piston Cup usually don't have hairpin turns. It's a useful skill though, if you get rammed and have to recover quickly, like I did." 

Jackson tried to picture what Lightning was talking about, but he realized that he'd be more comfortable trying it out if Lightning showed him how to do it first. "Can you, uh, demonstrate?" 

"Yeah, of course." Lightning replied as he drove off, taking the first turn and approaching the second one. He turned hard to the left, but as his tail started to skid, he turned to the right, which realigned his tail with the road, allowing him to have enough traction to complete the turn safely without losing too much speed. He then returned to the start line, where Jackson was. "Alright, now you try." 

Jackson was hesitant as he looked at the track ahead of him, contemplating how Lightning did it. He didn't want to risk skidding again. 

Lightning recognized his hesitation, and bumped him lightly with his tire to ease his mind. "Hey, you're Jackson Storm. You can take on anything." 

Jackson sighed as he glanced at Lightning, then looked back at the dirt track with newfound determination. That's right. He was Jackson Storm. He wasn't going to let a dirt track intimidate him. Not this time. "Thanks, Lightning." He said before he shot off, heading towards the first turn, and mentally preparing himself for the second hairpin turn. 

He found himself losing his concentration, however, as he took the first turn, flashing back to his wreck when he skidded on the second turn, having no control whatsoever. He growled as he forced those thoughts out of his head. Not this time. 

He slowed down as he reached the second turn, and turned to the left. He felt his rear tires slide sideways on the dirt, which prompted him to countersteer to the right to straighten himself out. He did it a bit too late, however, and his tail went off of the track while he tried to correct himself. He managed to regain control after swerving, and he stopped beside Lightning shortly afterwards, looking irritated. 

"Great. Just great." 

"Hey, that's a massive improvement. You took the turn at a fairly fast speed while keeping control most of the time. It's a tricky thing to learn, but you kind of just feel when it's right to countersteer. Don't overthink it." 

Jackson sighed in frustration. "I don't know why I was expecting to master that on the first try. I'll try again." He stated as he took off from the starting line again, using the first turn as time to prepare himself like last time. 

He approached the second turn, ensuring that no flashbacks would hinder his concentration this time. He turned hard to the left, and countersteered to the right a bit earlier this time, anticipating when his tail would start to skid. He took the turn more smoothly this time, with very little wavering in his line, and straightened out relatively quickly after the turn. 

The Next Gen looked happier this time round when he came back to Lightning. "I definitely felt like I did better that time."

"You looked better too." Lightning complimented as he raised up a tire for Jackson to bump. "Getting the hang of countersteering in two attempts is amazing." 

Jackson bumped Lightning's tire as he smirked. "Well, you're talking to Jackson Storm, here. I can handle anything." 

"Alright, alright. No need to brag, now." Lightning replied. "How about we do some laps? To get back in the groove of racing." 

"That's a good idea." Jackson said as they both started off, doing laps around Willy's Butte. 

The two race cars raced for around 50 laps before they stopped at the start line, having had enough of racing for the day. 

"That was good practice, Lightning. Thanks." Jackson was grateful for the training; he was afraid that he had gotten soft over the time that he had been resting, but that wasn't the case. 

"No problem. I needed it too. We both gotta be at the top of our game for the next Piston Cup, right?" 

"Definitely." Jackson agreed. He then realized that the sun was already setting over the horizon. "Huh, we were out for longer than I thought." 

"Well, we did leave in the afternoon. Maybe it wasn't as long as you thought it was." Lightning laughed. "I noticed that you were riding on my tail for a couple of the laps, though. Cruz teach you that?" Lightning asked.

Jackson smirked. "Nah. I just like the view." He flirted.

Lightning was initially taken aback by Jackson's forward comment, but he smirked back. "So you do, huh?" 

"Yep." Jackson said before he moved forward to kiss Lightning, enjoying the moment as he brought a tire up to cradle Lightning's side. 

Lightning kissed back, moaning into the kiss as he leaned into it. He loved the feeling of Jackson's lips on his. 

Jackson deepened the kiss as he rolled forward, earning another moan from Lightning. The thought didn't even cross his mind that they were in public, not that it mattered because no one would be out here. 

The two kissed for a while more before they finally separated. "How about we head back to my trailer, hm?" Jackson suggested seductively as he looked at Lightning half-lidded.

"Lead the way." Lightning replied with a smirk.

They left Willy's Butte eagerly, heading to Jackson's trailer.


	21. My Turn (Explicit)

They soon arrived at Jackson's trailer as the sun set, Jackson quickly moving to open the trailer door. The ramp lowered, but as opposed to last time, Jackson waited. "After you." He said to Lightning, with a smirk. 

Lightning looked at Jackson with an eyebrow raised, wondering what he was up to, but he reversed up the ramp anyway as Jackson drove in after him, closing the ramp. He soon found out, however, as Jackson lowered the window shades, and moved forward to kiss Lightning passionately.

He let out a groan as he returned the kiss, battling for dominance with Jackson when he stuck his tongue into Jackson's mouth. Jackson was not to be deterred, however, as he ran a tire along Lightning's side. 

Lightning was distracted by the touch, allowing Jackson to stick his tongue into Lightning's mouth, and explore and stimulate every part of it. He moaned into the kiss as he parted his lips to allow Jackson more access to his mouth. 

Jackson's tongue pushed against Lightning's, as their tongues did a passionate tango causing both cars to moan. They kissed for a few more moments before Jackson broke the kiss. However, his mouth wasn't gone from Lightning's frame for long, as he kissed in various places on Lightning's hood, drawing out more sounds of pleasure from Lightning.

He paused in his kissing to look at Lightning's flustered expression with a smirk. "You had your turn last time. Now it's mine." 

"Have at it, Jackson…" Lightning replied, looking forward to Jackson dominating this time. 

That spurred Jackson on as he caressed Lightning's undercarriage with a tire, in the process pushing him to the rear of his trailer, like he did to him last time. Lightning gasped at the contact, moving forward instinctively to get more of that delicious friction. 

"Someone's eager, aren't they?" Jackson teased as he continued his caresses, wanting to hear more from Lightning.

Lightning didn't bother to respond; he was too enraptured by Jackson's touch at the moment.

Jackson ran a tire up and down the length of Lightning's undercarriage, while he started kissing Lightning's hood again, looking for sensitive spots that he could exploit. 

Lightning panted as he felt Jackson stimulating two places at once, which meant double the pleasure. He could be content with just this, but he knew that he wanted more. Jackson was teasing him, but he wouldn't allow him to do it for much longer.

"C'mon, Jackson, please…" He pleaded.

"Please what?" Jackson asked in between kisses. 

"Stop teasing; I want more." 

Jackson smirked as he pushed Lightning on to his rear tires, allowing him to caress his undercarriage much more freely, along with that glorious panel that he'd soon relish. He worked his way from Lightning's front to his tail, kissing, caressing, and licking his undercarriage.

Lightning shuddered as he got increasingly turned on from the waves of pleasure coursing through his frame, his rear tires trembling as he rested on top of Jackson. He closed his eyes as he let himself get lost in the ecstasy. 

Jackson soon made his way down to Lightning's tail, licking along that part of his undercarriage, and finally arriving at Lightning's panel. He lapped at it eagerly, waiting for him to open up.

Lightning couldn't resist Jackson, and he opened up with no hesitation, revealing his erect length as he opened his eyes again.

Jackson licked up and down Lightning's shaft slowly, judging Lightning's reactions before he sped up. "Already this hard from a bit of foreplay, hm?" 

"A-Ah! It's because you're so good at this…" Jackson being dominant turned him on to no end. Maybe he was a sore loser on the race track, but that definitely wasn't the case here.

"You'll think I'm even better after this." The Next Gen stated before he took Lightning into his mouth, moving up and down his length as he licked and sucked. 

Lightning cried out Jackson's name as Jackson sucked him, and he started thrusting into Jackson's mouth to feel more of that hot cavern that was doing sinful things to his length. One of his breaths hitched as Jackson, without warning, sped up.

Jackson grinned around Lightning's member as his efforts paid off, hearing Lightning groan and gasp above him. He continued to work with his tongue and mouth, wanting to bring Lightning to his peak.

An involuntary shudder ran through Lightning's frame as he moaned. Waves of pleasure coursed through his undercarriage, and grew stronger and stronger with each lick and suck that Jackson applied to his shaft.

Jackson drew back until only the tip was inside his mouth, giving it a gentle lick before taking Lightning back into his mouth, prolonging the pleasure for Lightning's benefit. His length pressed uncomfortably against his panel from arousal, so he slid his panel back while sucking Lightning to ease the pressure. He inadvertently moaned as he felt his shaft exposed to the air once his panel was opened.

The vibrations from his moan reverberated around Lightning's length, tipping him over the edge as he released his seed into Jackson's mouth. "Ah, Jackson! Chrysler!" He shouted.

Jackson tightened his mouth around Lightning's shaft as he swallowed most of his load, licking up what leaked from his mouth as he pulled back, setting Lightning back on his four tires. "Felt good, huh?" 

Lightning was unable to respond as he came down from his high, looking quite out of it as he panted.

Jackson chuckled. "I'm just that good, it seems." He said before he kissed Lightning, slipping his tongue into the other's mouth. 

Lightning moaned into the kiss as he tasted his own release, kissing Jackson back as he let him explore every part of his mouth. 

Jackson broke the kiss as both cars breathed heavily. "You ready for this?" He asked.

"Yeah…" Lightning replied as he turned around, his tail facing Jackson. "Fuck me, Jackson…"

Lightning's forwardness spurred him on as his length got even harder with arousal. He slowly mounted Lightning before resting his front tires on his roof, positioning his length. He then gingerly pushed forward into Lightning, judging his reaction before he went any further.

Lightning gasped at the feeling of Jackson entering him, as he trembled on his four tires. He tried to relax as he panted, and he soon started feeling little waves of pleasure coming from his tail.

Jackson moved a little further into Lightning, stroking his side with one of his tires like he did to him, since he could tell that the other car was still a bit tense. 

Lightning leaned into the touch as he moaned a bit. The pleasure he was feeling now outweighed the discomfort, and he wanted more. "Jackson, move, please…"

Jackson thrusted all the way to the hilt inside Lightning as he moaned, Lightning letting out a moan as well. He then pulled out until only the tip was still inside, and thrusted back in at a slow pace. 

Lightning let out cries of pleasure with each thrust, his tires trembling from the sensations felt from his tail. Euphoria rushed through his undercarriage, and it would only get better from here.

Jackson gripped Lightning's roof with his front tires as he increased the pace of his thrusts, eliciting louder impassioned gasps and groans from Lightning. He lost himself in the ecstasy as well as he huffed, Lightning's walls feeling like heaven around his length.

Lightning's tires gave up as they collapsed, leaving him resting on his hubcaps. Not that he cared at the moment, too caught up in the feeling of Jackson pounding into him. He let out deep moans and cries as the sexual stimulation and arousal built up. "Agh…more…" He was surprised that he could even talk through his labored breaths.

"You feel so good, Lightning…" Jackson grunted as he gasped, plunging himself over and over into Lightning. The stimulation was building up to the point of no return for him, and judging by Lightning's now totally relaxed state that even his tires weren't supporting him, the same was true for him. "I'm close…" He warned between moans.

Lightning met Jackson's thrusts as he felt his impending release as well, his frame shuddering. "Heh, me too…ah!" He cried out as he came on Jackson's trailer floor, letting out a long moan.

Lightning tightened around Jackson, setting him off as well as he thrust one last time into Lightning, moaning as he shot his load into him. "Lightning!"

Both cars panted as they rode out the last of their highs, and Jackson slowly pulled out of Lightning once they had recovered, unmounting him so that he was back on his four tires. "That was even better than last time…" Jackson remarked as he smiled at Lightning once he had turned around.

"Just because you dominated." Lightning joked before he moved forward to kiss Jackson.

Jackson moaned into the kiss, returning it eagerly as they kissed for a few moments before breaking apart. "C'mon, you love it." He said with a smirk.

"And you didn't when I was on top of you?" Lightning replied.

Jackson immediately got flustered, averting his gaze. "W-Well, you got me there…"

Lightning laughed as he nuzzled Jackson. "Too early to sleep?" The sun had just set, after all. Though he had no idea how long that had been in there.

"After that? I would sleep even if it was noon." Jackson replied as he nuzzled back.

He dimmed the lights as he and Lightning slowly fell asleep, their hoods touching.


	22. New Paint and Goodbyes

Jackson enjoyed the rest of the time that he had in Radiator Springs, but it all had to come to an end at some point, as his 3 weeks were over, just like that. He looked at Lightning sadly as they parked next to each other at Flo's V8 Cafe.

"So, the last day, huh?" Lightning said after an extended period of silence.

"Don't remind me." Jackson said, feeling melancholy.

“Hey, video calling, right?” Lightning pointed out, trying to make Jackson feel better.

“As I told you, it’s not the same as seeing you face to face.” Jackson said.

Lightning sighed. “I know, Jackson. Trust me. It’s not easy for me either.” It felt like Jackson had only been in Radiator Springs for a few days.

Jackson sighed, deciding to change the subject, so that he wouldn't dwell on it for the time being. “When are you heading to Rust-eze?” 

“Shortly after you leave, actually. I can’t slack either.”

“My whole world’s gonna be the simulator when I return, so we’re in the same boat.” Jackson replied.

Lightning frowned in disapproval. “I thought you said that you’d take breaks when you get back?”

“Yeah, but 15 minute breaks don’t mean much. I’m still gonna spend the majority of my time on the simulator.” 

“You should get some real world experience as well, you know. Does some good.” Lightning suggested.

Jackson wasn't sure what Lightning meant by that. “Wasn’t that what our training at Willy’s Butte was for?”

“Yeah, but I meant while you’re in Vegas. Rust-eze Racing Center has Fireball Beach next door. I train on that stretch of sand sometimes. It provides some change from the texture of asphalt.” Lightning explained.

“I guess we have a speedway close by that I could practice on. I only practiced on real life tracks during the season because I didn’t have the simulator.”

“I’m going to try and actually learn how to use the simulator this time around. Last time I tried using it I drove into the screen.” Lightning admitted as he chuckled.

Jackson chuckled along with Lightning. “You can always call me if you need help. I’ll admit, it’s a steep learning curve. Once you get the hang of it, though, it’s second nature. At least from my experience.” 

Lightning smiled."Thanks, Jackson, I appreciate it."

"No problem. We both gotta be at our best for this Piston Cup, right?" 

"I think that applies to me a lot more than it applies to you." 

"When you're against me? Yeah. When you're against others? Nah." Jackson said smugly.

Lightning playfully bumped Jackson's side with a tire. "We'll see about that, Jackson." 

"Definitely. Hey, uh, you think Ramone will be up for giving me a new coat of paint? You said it was looking faded before." 

"What, you don't want to cuddle anymore?" Lightning jokingly asked.

Jackson quickly cuddled Lightning's side, assuring him that wasn't the case, even though Lightning was joking. "Of course not! I just want to look my best before I head back, you know?"

"Yeah, I understand. He'll definitely do it; he's always enthusiastic about doing paint jobs." 

Jackson grinned. "I'm looking forward to it. You said he's the best at them." 

"Because he is! What you saw with Cruz wasn't his best work, but when he has time, he does a great job." Lightning asserted.

"I'll take your word for it, Lightning." 

"C'mon, we can head over and see whether he's busy right now."

Jackson nodded. "Lead the way."

* * *

Lightning waited eagerly with the rest of the Radiator Springs gang, as Ramone put the last finishing touches on Jackson’s new paint job. It kind of reminded him of back then, when Ramone gave him a new paint job while he was helping out the town. 

Granted, Jackson’s paint job would be the same, just brand new instead of faded, but he knew Ramone would make it look better than it did before.

Jackson came out of Ramone's House of Body Art with a slight smirk, and the reaction was instantaneous as everyone looked impressed at what Ramone did.

"So, what do y'all think?" Jackson asked. He thought that it looked pretty good when he saw himself in the mirror. The black and blue that made up his paint job stuck out more, after being reinforced with a new coat of paint.

"Looks rad, man." Fillmore said.

"My baby Ramone did you _right!_ " Flo exclaimed.

"Wow. Your lightning bolt definitely sticks out with the blue." Lightning remarked.

Jackson beamed. "Thanks, guys. I definitely look ready." 

"For sure." Gale agreed as she smiled. "Ray will be excited when he sees you." 

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing him again." The moment was bittersweet for Jackson. He did want to reunite with Ray, but he wouldn't see Lightning and his friends probably until the next Piston Cup. 

“We got the whole gang together so you can make the most of your time here.” Lightning said as they headed back to Flo’s V8 Cafe to see Jackson off when it was time.

Jackson smiled sadly. “Thanks, Lightning. I’ll miss you and everyone else.”

“I will too, Jackson. You still have time, though.” Lightning pointed out. They shouldn’t dwell on it until it was time.

“Yeah, I’ll make the most of it.” Jackson replied as they pulled up next to each other at Flo’s V8 Cafe.

The time passed quickly as Jackson chatted with Lightning and the rest of the Radiator Springs gang, until Gale pulled up with his trailer. 

"You ready to go, Jackson?" Gale asked.

Jackson sighed. "Not really, but I guess I gotta go at some point." The sun was low on the horizon, and it would probably be setting in around an hour. He wanted to get back to IGNTR at a decent time. 

"Say hi to Ray for me." Lightning said as he waved with a tire.

Jackson gave Lightning one final nuzzle. "I will. I'll call you tomorrow morning." 

Lightning returned the nuzzle as he smiled. "Looking forward to it." 

Jackson reversed up the ramp into his trailer as he waved goodbye to everyone. "Love you, Lightning." 

"Love you more!" Lightning replied as the ramp closed, and Gale drove off.

Lightning and the rest of the Radiator Springs gang watched as Jackson's trailer got smaller and smaller, until it couldn't be made out anymore. Red spontaneously burst into tears, and knocked down the stack of tires next to Mater's yard again as he drove off.

"I'll go fix the tire pile again…" Mater said as he went to restack the tires.

"You alright, Stickers?" Sally asked while Lightning stared off into the distance.

"Yeah. I'll just miss him. That's all." He replied.

"We all will. You'll see him again at the next Piston Cup, though." 

"Three months is a pretty long time…" Lightning complained.

"It'll fly by while you're training."

Sally had a point. For some reason, time seemed to fly by while he was preparing for the Piston Cup. "I guess. Thanks, Sal."

Sally smiled. "No problem." She drove off back to the motel office as everyone started to disperse. 

Lightning looked wistfully down Route 66 one last time, before he turned around to head back to his cone.


	23. Homecoming

Jackson was quiet as he looked out the window at the desert landscape flying by. He didn’t think that his relationship with Lightning would’ve developed the way it did during his time in Radiator Springs, yet here he was, already feeling a bit downcast. 

The silence permeated the air for the next hour, and Gale thought Jackson had taken a nap until she heard a sigh come from the trailer she was hauling. 

“Jackson?” She asked experimentally, still unsure if Jackson was awake.

“Yeah?” He replied.

Well, there was her answer. “You alright?” 

“Not really, no.” 

“I figured. I know it’s hard for you to be away from him.”

“Ain’t that an understatement…” Jackson replied wryly.

“Well, you’ll get to see Ray again, right? Isn’t that nice?” Gale pointed out, trying to make Jackson feel better.

“Yeah, I’m definitely looking forward to seeing him again. I don’t know, Gale. It’s all kind of bittersweet.” 

“I understand. If you ever want to talk about anything, I'm here for you.” Gale asserted. 

“Thanks, Gale. I really appreciate it.” Jackson replied, feeling slightly better. He decided to change the subject so that he wouldn’t dwell on it any longer. “How do you think Ray is holding up?”

“I think security is still keeping the media away, right?” 

“Yeah, but he probably gets mobbed when he goes off IGNTR property.” 

"Oh, right. I'm sure he's fine. They lose interest in a topic after a week, usually." 

That was the case, but Jackson knew that there was no conspicuous way of returning. "It'll probably be renewed when they see my trailer back in Vegas…" 

"Yep. You know how to deal with them, though."

"Doesn't mean I want to. I'm just gonna push through them to get inside so I can catch up with Ray." 

"Sounds like a plan." Gale replied.

Jackson spent the next few hours vibing with EDM or watching TV when he saw the lights of Las Vegas come into view, sticking out against the dark sky, which meant they'd soon arrive back at the IGNTR Racing Center. 

Of course, word soon spread that Jackson was back in town as they drove past the outskirts of Las Vegas, and a horde of reporters was starting to accumulate behind his trailer as Gale turned onto the road leading to IGNTR. 

"Jackson, we have a situation." 

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I expected it. I'll give 'em a show for a solid ten seconds before I go in. How about that?" 

"You're going to humor them?" Gale asked.

"If I don't, who knows what they'll come up with?" 

"Fair point." Gale passed the sign reading "IGNTR Racing Center," and soon stopped in front of the glass facade of the building.

Jackson put on his characteristic smirk as the ramp lowered. Gotta keep up appearances, right? He didn't seen Ray anywhere outside; he was probably waiting inside so they'd have privacy. Smart. He drove down the ramp as he was ambushed with questions and camera flashes. 

"Jackson, are you going to retire?"

"Are you crippled for life?" 

"Where did you recuperate?" 

"No, I'm not going to retire, I'm fully recovered, and that is none of your business. Thank you. Get out of my way, please." He pushed past the crowd as Gale closed the ramp, heading off to the back entrance to hide.

He entered the building, which thankfully blocked out the noise of the paparazzi, and soon saw Ray at the top of the ramp, who perked up when he saw him.

Jackson quickly drove up the ramp to meet Ray. "Ray!"

"Jackson!" Ray called out as he stuck his tires out for a hug.

Jackson quickly accepted it as he embraced Ray. It was a bit awkward since his hood only reached Ray's grille, but he could care less at the moment. He grinned as they released from the hug. "I've missed you so much."

"I did too." Ray replied.

"How's it been here? It looks like security hasn't been doing their jobs…" Jackson gestured to the mob of reporters who were still outside, just now being escorted away by security.

Ray chuckled. "Give them a break. There's at least 50 cars out there; they can't handle all of them. It's been great, though. Quiet without you." 

"I can only imagine. I'm ready to get some hours on the simulator tomorrow. I've been slacking enough already." 

"You know you can take breaks when you need to, right?" There was no point in the training if Jackson didn't benefit from it because he was too tired.

"Yeah, I know. Lightning reminded me to slow down once in a while. He's helped me a lot."

"I'm glad to hear it. I still can't wrap my head around you and him being together, to be honest. I genuinely thought that you hated him." 

Jackson sighed. "I did too. I guess I didn't even know myself. It took a crash and getting stuck for me to actually get to know him." 

"Well, I wish that happened under better circumstances, but it ended nicely, didn't it?"

"Definitely. He's apparently heading back to Rust-eze to start training as well." He informed Ray.

"Oh? Did Tex Dinoco tell him to?" Ray inquired.

"Nah, he said that he couldn't slack either for this Piston Cup season. None of us can." 

"While that is true, training is for your benefit. Remember that." 

"Thanks, Ray. I'll try to hold myself to a reasonable standard this time." He promised. No more overworking this time. 

"Great. I don't want you passing out on the simulator like last time. By the way, when were you planning on letting everyone know about you and Lightning's relationship?" Jackson couldn't keep it under wraps forever. He was afraid if it leaked somehow, it would be worse than if Jackson willingly told the press. 

"We were planning on telling everyone at the first Piston Cup race. We start talking to each other, which will probably draw the paparazzi toward us, and then we kiss." He explained with a smirk.

Ray was taken aback by the plan. "Wow. That's one way of telling them…"

"I thought it'd be funny to see the looks on their faces." 

"Can't blame you for that. There's going to be a huge press frenzy, though."

He rolled his eyes. Really? That's what Ray was concerned about? "Does it matter? No one really cares about what they have to say, anyway."

"You got a point there." Ray agreed. "It's getting late, Jackson. You should rest up before we start training tomorrow."

"Roger that. I was getting tired, anyway. Night, Ray." He said as he started to drive off to his quarters.

"Night!" Ray replied.

Jackson entered his room, which looked untouched since he slept in here last. It was definitely more spacious than a cone or his trailer, that's for sure. He rolled onto his sleeping mat as he shut his eyes, letting sleep claim him, so he'd have the energy to start training tomorrow.


	24. Missing You

A week after he arrived back at IGNTR, Jackson stared ahead as he turned his front wheels slightly on the raised platform on the simulator, simulating a left turn on the Motor Speedway of the South. He silently calculated how much to turn by, so that he'd have the least speed reduction and drag. 

"Great job on taking the turn. The second one is a bit sharper, so be careful." Ray advised from behind him.

"Got it, Ray. Thanks." He replied as he carried on looking ahead. Sharp turns…reminded him of the sharp turn he took at Willy's Butte, with Lightning's help. They had fun taking multiple laps around the dirt track. He really missed him…

He was jolted out of his reverie as he was _way_ too close to the circuit wall. He quickly turned to compensate, but he spun out, and the platform he was on jerked violently until he came to a halt in the simulation. "Damn it." He cursed.

"Are you alright, Jackson? Do you need to take a break?" Ray asked, concerned.

He sighed. "I took a break 30 minutes ago, Ray, I'll be fine. Sorry." 

"Alright. We'll start over at the beginning lap?"

"Yeah. Sounds good." He replied as the simulation restarted. 

He tried to keep his focus on the virtual circuit as he trained on the simulator, but he was always aware of Lightning lingering in his thoughts, causing him to be more unsteady than usual. His precise racing lines became mediocre; uncharacteristic of him as he wavered and tried to compensate opposite whichever direction he was wavering in. 

He still managed to get first place in the virtual race in the end, but the AI opponents were slightly toned down from the real deal. He knew that. What he just did would not suffice. 

He scowled as he turned his tire to start another race, until Ray stopped him.

"It's been an hour, Jackson. Take a break." The pick up truck advised.

"I'm perfectly fine to do another race. I'll stop after that one." He asserted.

"You don't seem fine. C'mon, another break won't kill you." 

He sighed. Deep down, he knew that his crew chief was right. "Fine. I'm coming down." He said as he pushed a button to lower the platform he was on, the restraints on his tires automatically releasing once the platform was connected with the ground. He reversed and orientated himself so that he was facing his crew chief. 

"Is something on your mind? The way you were racing today wasn't like you." Ray pointed out.

 _Great. It was that obvious?_ He thought. Though maybe it wasn't a bad thing if he talked to his crew chief about it. It might make him feel better. "I miss Lightning." 

Ray had a feeling that was what was bothering Jackson. "I can understand that."

"I was trying to focus on the race. I really was." 

"And I'm proud of you. You still got first place, even with that." 

"I guess. I don't know, Ray. That's not my best."

Ray sighed. "Jackson, I think you're harder on yourself than I am on you. You said that you'd hold yourself to a reasonable standard this time. Not being perfect 100% of the time is a reasonable standard."

"You're right." He knew that he had promised that.

"How about you video call Lightning after you've finished training for the day?" Ray suggested.

"Would he be done with his training?" He asked.

Ray chuckled. "Trust me, Jackson. He'd be done before you're done." 

He laughed along with Ray. "Yeah, you got a point there."

"Anyway, I think it'd make you feel better."

"Definitely. I haven't talked to him in a bit, anyway." He sighed as he looked back at the simulator. He hoped that he'd get back in the groove of his performance before; he had to play catch up, after being sedentary for three weeks.

"You're thinking of getting back on already? You just got off." Ray said, frowning as he interpreted that look as Jackson's insistence on training, despite his protests.

"I'm just thinking about how much I have to do to catch up." He clarified.

"As your crew chief, I can say that if there's any ground that you have to make up, it's not much." Ray asserted. "Your performance was great yesterday. You were just distracted this time."

He smiled. "Thanks, Ray. You're the best crew chief a racer could ever have." 

Ray smiled back as he chuckled. "Lightning really has made you mushy, huh?"

He gave Ray a death glare. "I am _not_ mushy." 

"I'm kidding. Thank you, Jackson. That really means a lot to me. I'm just being as supportive as I can. That's a good crew chief, in my opinion." 

"I wholeheartedly agree. I really appreciate all that you've done for me."

"And I appreciate you being the best racer a crew chief could ever have. Now go treat yourself to a can of oil. Then we can talk about you going for another round on the simulator." 

"You got it, Ray." Jackson said as he went to go get a can of oil to drink. 

He soon returned after drinking a can of oil in the kitchen, giving him some energy to continue going on the simulator. "So, another race on the sim?" 

"If you're up for it." The pick up truck replied.

"What kind of question is that?" Jackson asked as he drove back onto the platform to start another race. 

After a few more races which he did much better in, Ray decided to call it a day. "I think that's enough for the day, don't you?" 

"Yeah, I think the sun's already set." Jackson said as he reversed from the platform once it clicked into place. Sure enough, the sky was a deep orange.

"Yep, it has. I'm glad you're setting boundaries for yourself nowadays." 

"I doubt I could've kept up what I was doing before last season, anyway." 

"No, you couldn't have." Ray agreed.

"Ah, I should probably video call Lightning, now that I'm done." Jackson remembered. 

"Go ahead, Jackson. I'll see you later." 

"Alright. See you, Ray." He waved with a tire, as he headed back to his quarters to go find his tablet. 

He found it, and found the contact for Lightning. _I hope he's not busy…_ He thought as he called Lightning. 

It rang for a few moments, before Lightning picked up. "Jackson! How are you?" Lightning greeted.

"Doing fine. Putting in those hours on the simulator." Jackson replied. "You?" 

"I hope Ray's keeping you from overworking yourself. Doing well here at Rust-eze as well. I think I'm finally getting a hang of the simulator." 

Jackson laughed. "I'm glad the tips I told you last time helped. Yeah, I'm done for the day. Ray always tells me the training does no good if I'm not benefiting from it." 

"He has a point." Lightning agreed. "Yeah, I know the simulator is supposed to, you know, simulate an actual race, but getting tilted on a raised platform isn't exactly normal." 

"I had the same feeling, but you honestly just get used to it after using it for a while. How's Cruz?" 

"She's doing well too. You haven't called her yet?"

"I called her yesterday morning. She looked a little tired. I hope she's okay." 

Lightning chuckled. "Aren't we all? But yeah, she said it's her first Piston Cup, so she's trying very hard. I told her to take it easy. You can do worse in races if you overthink everything." 

"Good advice. I'll take it." 

"Glad you think it's good advice! How's Ray and Gale?" 

"Ray and Gale are great. Gale's especially happy since off season is practically her vacation." 

"Same for Mack. Must be pretty boring for him, though. You're in Las Vegas. Where Rust-eze is is kind of secluded." 

"True. I mean, if a place like Thunder Hollow is close to you, I'm sure it's pretty secluded." 

Lightning rolled his eyes. "That was several months ago, Jackson…"

Jackson laughed. "I'm teasing."

"You're going to have your fair share of scandals as your racing career goes on, you know."

"Yeah. The next one will be our relationship." 

"Looking forward to revealing it that way, huh?"

Jackson smirked. "Aren't you? It'll be fun." 

"I am, for sure. You know, I really miss you over here." Lightning admitted as he looked solemn.

Jackson sighed. "I do too. I struggled on the simulator today because of it." 

"Oh no. We'll see each other soon enough though, right?" 

"If you consider more than two months soon, sure." 

"As I said, it'll fly by." Lightning asserted. "You really don't know how much time has passed until you're loading into your trailer to head to the first Piston Cup race."

"You're right. The more I think about it, the slower time will seem." 

"Same goes for me. I know it's hard, but I try to distract myself." 

Jackson didn’t know of anything that would sufficiently distract himself. "With what?" 

Lightning thought about it for a while before responding. "Well, sometimes when I'm really desperate, I watch Chick Hicks's TV show as a distraction." He admitted.

Jackson visibly cringed at that. "Don't do that to yourself." 

"He sometimes has decent commentary. Sometimes." 

"I'll take your word for it, but I only watch him if he's saying good things about me."

"Oh, yeah, he was brutal on you and I at our low points."

"My point exactly." 

"Nevermind that. I don't let what others say about me affect me." 

"Me neither. You know yourself best." 

"Definitely." A ringtone rang out through the call as Lightning checked what it was. "Mater's calling me, sorry."

"No need to apologize. You should go talk to him. I love you." 

"Love you more." Lightning replied as he waved with a tire, before he hung up.

Jackson had a slight smile as he put the tablet away. At least he had some time to catch up with Lightning, despite their hectic schedules. He just wanted the first race of the Piston Cup to come already.


	25. Arrival in Los Angeles

Jackson reversed into his trailer, Ray driving in after him, as Gale closed the trailer door and set off for Los Angeles, where the first race of the Piston Cup would be held. He watched the Nevada landscape fly by as they left Las Vegas city limits. 

"How're you feeling, Jackson?" Ray inquired.

"I don't know, Ray. Kind of anxious, if I'm being honest." 

"You had stellar performance on the simulator for the past week. You have nothing to worry about." Ray stated.

Jackson sighed as he looked away from the window to gaze at Ray. "Yeah, you're right." 

"Besides, you're looking forward to getting to see Lightning again, right?" 

"Of course! I don't know if he's going to be there yet when we arrive, though. Florida's quite a trek away from Los Angeles. Probably not. That's okay. I only really arrive early so I can have first dibs at practicing on the actual track before the race." 

"It's a good strategy." 

"Maybe the fact that I got some off road experience in Radiator Springs will especially help me this time around." Jackson speculated.

"I definitely think it would. Especially compared to the other Next Gens." 

"Cruz is probably going to be the first one there, though. Dinoco always sends their racers first." 

"They want to keep up the best sponsor reputation. Also to give their racer the most time to train on the track. I hope she's alright. It's tough if you're doing your first racing season under Tex Dinoco."

"From what I've heard, he's actually quite nice. Lightning said that he was letting her take multiple breaks and such, like you have." Jackson explained.

Ray frowned. "I'd expect that to be a given, though. If you're not letting your racer take breaks, that's just cruel." 

"I definitely agree with you. Last time I talked to her, though, she seemed quite happy. Living her dream of being a racer, under Dinoco no less."

Ray smiled. "You told me about that. I'm happy for her."

"I am too. Still kind of feel bad about how I acted towards her before." Jackson admitted, looking solemn.

"Hey. You apologized, she accepted, and you both are now friends. There's no use in bringing up the past. What's important is that you've changed."

Jackson perked up a bit at Ray's words. He always knew what to say to make him feel better. "Thanks, Ray." 

Ray smiled. "No problem."

After a few hours, they approached the outskirts of Los Angeles, and took an exit off of the interstate to the speedway, since it was actually quite far out from the city center. They pulled up to the pits, where the trailers were. It was also where the press was, as multiple reporters immediately swarmed Gale and Jackson's trailer. Gale immediately uncoupled to go hide in Jackson's enclosed pit.

Jackson lowered his window shades as he saw them coming, scowling in disgust. "Ugh…"

"Just go out there with your air of confidence, and you'll be fine." Ray reassured as he pushed the button to lower the trailer ramp.

He reversed out of Jackson's trailer, turning around to make a way for Jackson. "Make a way, please. Move it."

Jackson smirked slightly as he rolled down the ramp after Ray, giving off said air of confidence. 

"Jackson Storm, how do you feel about this Piston Cup?" One reporter asked.

"Great. One little crash means nothing." 

"But you were airlifted to a hospital." 

Jackson rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Let's move on from that." He pushed forward to head to his pit.

"Do you feel like your training has prepared you enough?" Another reporter asked.

"Of course. I've trained very intensely after my recovery."

"Do you feel threatened at all by the competition?" 

"Not at all. No more questions. Thank you guys, _so_ much." He said with a bit of sarcasm as he made it into his pit with Ray, Gale, and his pit crew, and shut the door.

“You handled that pretty well, Jackson.” Gale complimented.

“At least they’re not allowed past that point…” Jackson gave a sigh of relief.

“Yeah. Can’t have the media hounding you all the time when you need to prepare, right? Cruz is on the track right now. You can go practice if you want to after she’s done.” Ray informed Jackson.

“Heh, knew she’d be here first.” Jackson said to himself as he emerged from his enclosed pit to watch Cruz doing laps.

She must've been at it for a while, as she soon stopped after around ten laps, and drove back to the pits from the track. She stopped quite far from Jackson's pit since Dinoco had the first pit in pit row. Her crew chief and Tex Dinoco were talking to her, before she waved with a tire and drove off, apparently free now.

Jackson took this opportunity to wave with a tire to get her attention, as he stuck out a bit from his pit. 

Cruz saw him and perked up, driving over to his pit. "It's nice to see you all again!" She greeted Jackson, Ray, Gale, and Jackson’s pit crew.

"It's nice to see you too, Cruz. Tex Dinoco hasn't been too hard on you, I hope." Ray replied. 

“Nah, he’s really nice! I’m really excited for my first full racing season.” 

“I bet. You’ll do great.” Gale said, smiling.

Jackson nodded in agreement. “You looked great out there.”

“Thanks guys! Looks like those hours on the simulator paid off, heh.” 

“Ah, Jackson, since the track is free now, did you want to train?” Ray asked.

“Oh, yeah, definitely.” It was better to do it now before it would get taken by another racer.

Jackson drove out of the pits, and sped up as he merged onto the race track. It was identical to the simulator visually, but he knew handling would be slightly different. He took the turns nicely as he calculated his racing lines to keep as much speed as possible when taking them. After doing around 20 laps, he came back to the pits as he slowed down.

“That was a nice warm up.” He remarked as he pulled back into his pit. 

“Looked great on the turns, Jackson.” Ray commented.

“Yeah! Lightning must’ve taught you some tricks to take them. You were doing that ‘turn right to go left’ thing that he uses.” Cruz pointed out. 

“Oh, was I? It’s not that useful if the turn isn’t sharp. But yeah, he taught me that at Willy’s Butte. Cool trick.” He paused as he decided to ask Cruz something. “Talking about Lightning, do you know when he’s arriving?” 

“Excited to see him, huh?” Cruz teased.

Ray smirked knowingly while Gale giggled.

Jackson was taken aback for a few moments before he glared jokingly at Cruz. “Well…aren’t you?” 

“Good point. I think he said later today. He just crossed the border with Arizona last time I chatted with him, which was an hour ago.” Cruz recounted.

"Ah, that probably means he'll be here in a few hours, then. Long trek for him. I feel bad." 

"He seemed fine when I talked to him. Probably used to it, with how many Piston Cups he's been to."

"You're right. Him being a racing veteran and all." The sound of an approaching trailer was soon heard from his enclosed pit. "Good that both of us got to use the track before the rest arrived…"

"Yeah. Who arrived?" Cruz asked.

"I don't know." Jackson turned around to go peek around the back entrance of his pit, but Ray was already looking. "Who is it, Ray?"

"Cam Spinner." Ray replied.

Cruz looked confused. "The guy who burned down Piston Peak?"

"No, not Cad Spinner. Cam Spinner. The guy who caused the pile up at the Florida 500." Jackson clarified.

"Oh, right. I hope he's okay." 

"Well, if I'm okay, he's probably okay." Jackson stated.

"True. I'm gonna go talk to him. Establish myself with the racers, you know?" 

"Sure, you do that. I'm gonna rest for a bit." 

"Alright. See you, Jackson!" Cruz waved with a tire before she drove off.

Jackson waved back, and sighed as he stared ahead at the race track.

"You know, you should go out and socialize with the other racers when they arrive." Ray suggested.

"You think it's a good idea?" Jackson asked hesitantly.

Gale looked at Jackson, confused. "Why do you think it wouldn't be?" 

"No one knows about the whole me being reformed thing besides you guys, Lightning and his friends, and Cruz. Everyone still sees me as the guy who rammed Cruz into the sidewall." 

"Then change that perception! No one will know if you don't show that you've changed." Ray advised. 

"Ray has a point." Gale said.

"Okay, but Cam Spinner is the only other racer here right now." Jackson pointed out.

"Yeah, I was suggesting a bit later when more racers arrive." Ray explained.

"Oh, right." Jackson peeked around the rear entrance to his pit, and saw Cam and Cruz having a pretty animated conversation.

"Jackson, you look creepy watching them talk." Gale pointed out, chuckling.

Jackson turned around to face Gale, Ray, and his pit crew. "Sorry. I don't know. Should I go up to them to start? I don't want to intrude…" 

"I think starting with Cam would be a good starting point. Cruz is already there, so you can just join in, and she'd probably explain that you and her are now on good terms." Ray said.

"Alright. I guess I'll go, or I never will." He said as he slowly drove out of his pit, approaching the two. 

"You won't _believe_ how terrible hospital food is. They gave me this drink to replenish fluids or whatever, and it just tasted like salt." Cam complained to Cruz, who was listening intently. That explained the animated conversation.

"I can attest to that. Definitely not the best fuel." Jackson chimed in as he approached the two race cars. 

Cam shifted his gaze to Jackson when he heard his voice, and initially looked a bit hostile until he saw that Cruz regarded Jackson in a more friendly way, causing him to look a bit confused. "Jackson! Done resting already?" Cruz asked.

"Yeah, decided to not sit on my tires for too long. Glad to see you're recovered, Cam." 

"Uh…yeah, same to you, Jackson." Cam looked between Jackson and Cruz. "Have you two made amends?" 

Cruz nodded. "Yep! Jackson's actually a nice guy. I've forgiven him for everything." 

"Thought that IGNTR would drop me and my racing career would be over if I lost. I was dumb. Acting like a jerk was a really bad way of coping, I know." Jackson explained.

"Well, I'm glad you're not another Chick Hicks." Cam remarked, starting to warm up to Jackson.

"Chrysler, no! I definitely don't want to be like him." Jackson said as he laughed. "Mentions his Piston Cup that he didn’t get fairly every five minutes. It's pathetic." 

Cam and Cruz laughed in agreement, and all three race cars engaged in lively conversation as more trailers started to arrive.


	26. The Big Reveal

Word had gotten out as more racers arrived in Los Angeles that Jackson suddenly wasn’t a jerk anymore, and either some cars questioned it, or others didn't and embraced it. Regardless, once they talked to Jackson, they knew something was different about the Next Gen. He was talking to Chase Racelott at the moment. 

“So, how do you think you’re gonna do for the qualifying laps?” Chase asked.

“Hopefully match my time from last season, at best. The downtime at the hospital and recuperation time probably took a toll. I trained extra hard on the simulator this time round.” Jackson looked around. Lightning still wasn’t here. “I really hope Lightning doesn’t miss the qualifying laps.”

Chase laughed. “You were elated last season. Wouldn’t shut up on how Lightning had given up.” 

Jackson looked away in embarrassment. “Well, that was last season. I’m a changed car.” 

“Yeah, we all know. Anyway, yeah. He seems to have a habit of showing up right at the last minute.” 

As if on cue, another trailer pulled up, except this time it was Lightning’s. The Radiator Springs gang, save for Guido and Luigi, who were probably in the trailer with Lightning, drove around the trailer, heading to Lightning’s pit. Most of them waved at Jackson, who waved back.

“You _know_ them?” Chase asked.

Oh, shoot. No one knew that he was in Radiator Springs after his crash. “Uh…yeah. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.”

The trailer ramp soon dropped, and Lightning drove out, still sporting his “Fabulous Lightning McQueen” paint job, followed by Luigi and Guido, who headed to Lightning’s pit as well. Lightning saw Jackson and Chase, and headed over to them, looking a bit tired, but still upbeat. “Jackson! Chase! Long time no see.” 

Jackson stuck out one of his front tires for a tire bump in greeting. He wanted to hug Lightning, but that would definitely let everyone know that they were together. He was saving that for later. “What took you so long? The qualifying laps are tomorrow morning.”

Chase followed suit as Lightning bumped both of their tires. “Jackson here was worried about you.” He said with a slight smirk.

Lightning looked at Jackson knowingly. “Oh, really?”

“Well, I was just concerned that you were going to be forced to go dead last.” Jackson said cooly. No offense to Chase, but if he could leave…

“True, that’s awful.” Chase’s headlight suddenly flashed. “Aw, great. Chief needs me. See you both on the track!” He waved as he headed off to his pit.

“See you, Chase!” Lightning waved back.

Perfect. Jackson looked left and right. No one was looking at them. He gestured with a tire to his pit, and Lightning seemed to get the hint as they drove over to Jackson’s pit. No one was in there; Ray, Gale, and his pit crew must be out socializing. He shut both front and back doors to his pit, and then proceeded to embrace Lightning as he nuzzled him. 

“There’s my real greeting, huh?” Lightning joked as he hugged back. 

“Yeah. Sorry I have to be restrained until we tell everyone. Everyone already knows I’m not a jerk anymore. Gotta take it slow before we drop the bombshell.” 

“I understand.” Lightning said as they separated. “When were you planning on telling everyone, anyway?”

“They usually do a press event after the qualifications and before the actual race. That’d be a good time.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Lightning said as he smirked.

They exited Jackson’s pit to go head to Lightning’s pit, so Jackson could catch up with the Radiator Springs gang. Jackson had fun catching up with who he was “stuck” with, but he couldn’t take his mind off of what would happen tomorrow. The anticipation was killing him.

* * *

Jackson smirked as he crossed the finish line after two laps, finishing his qualifying laps. He drove back into pit row, where he stopped next to Ray, Gale, and his pit crew. “How’d I do, Ray?” He asked as his pitties changed his tires, so he’d have new ones for the race. 

“You have the fastest time so far. Most likely, you’ll take the pole position like always.” Ray said confidently.

“Great. I wonder how Lightning will do.” Cruz had already gone, and she had the second fastest time, putting her in the second position. He hoped Lightning’s newfound experience on the simulator helped him take on the other Next Gens. 

"Well, he's going up right now." Ray pointed out as he gestured at the track with a tire.

Jackson watched as Lightning lined up at the starting line, and started his two qualifying laps when signaled to do so. He got a decent time for the first lap, but Jackson could tell that he wanted to do better on the second lap, as he tried to keep the inside as much as possible while he raced around the racing circuit. 

It actually paid off, and everyone seemed surprised as he beat his previous lap time by ten seconds, which gave him the new second highest lap time. That left Jackson in pole position, Lightning in the second position, and Cruz in the third position, assuming that didn't change. 

Lightning came off of the track into pit row, as various racers congratulated him on getting the second position for the race, which would be a huge advantage. He eventually made it to Jackson's pit, Jackson regarding him with a grin. "Congrats, Lightning. You really gave it your all out there." 

"Second position is very advantageous. I'm happy for you." Ray said with a slight smile.

"Yeah, second position is awesome! You and Jackson also get to start next to each other." Gale pointed out.

"That's fortunate." Lightning smirked at Jackson.

Jackson averted his gaze as he became slightly flustered. "Yeah. Cruz is also just behind us." 

"Right. To be honest, I think the simulator helped a lot. It gives you a good feel for the racing circuit before you're even here. You don't have to wait until shortly before racing day to train on the actual circuit, in a way." Lightning explained. 

"My thoughts exactly. The simulator's great." Jackson agreed.

"At least I finally got used to it. I thought I'd never regain my sense of balance on that thing." 

Jackson laughed as they watched Rich Mixon do his two laps for qualification. After all the racers had finished, Jackson, Lightning, and Cruz kept their first, second, and third positions, respectively. 

"Looks like it's final." Ray commented.

"Wow. I really thought that I'd get moved down by one of the Next Gens." Lightning thought aloud.

"If you did, I'd glare at them for the entire race." Jackson said half-jokingly.

Lightning chuckled. "I appreciate it, Jackson." He then looked back at his pit. "I'd better go get my tires changed. They're old, and I can't have 'em blowing out on me during the race." 

"Yeah, of course. See you, Lightning." Jackson waved goodbye.

"At the press event, right?" Lightning confirmed as he looked at Jackson with a smirk.

Jackson winked. "You got it." 

"See you there." Lightning drove away to go to his pit.

"Is that when you were planning on revealing your relationship?" Ray inquired.

"No better time than that, right?" Jackson replied.

"I suppose. I hope there are ambulances nearby if someone has an engine attack." 

Jackson rolled his eyes. "Now you're just being melodramatic, Ray." 

"Yeah, Ray, no one's going to actually have an engine attack at the news. I mean, I saw it coming." Gale said.

"I didn't. Jackson almost gave me one when he told me." Ray grumbled. 

"You most certainly did not. You thought it was a joke at first." Jackson recalled.

"Yeah, and then I realized you were for real." Ray retorted.

"Well, that was your fault for thinking it was a joke in the first place." 

"You got me there…"

Jackson laughed. "Anyway, that's the plan. When are they calling the racers to the track?" 

"In 15 minutes. That's when you go through the press event."

"Perfect." Jackson said with a smirk. This would be good.

He drove out of his pit 15 minutes later, and caught up with Lightning as he left his pit to head to the race track. “Ready for the race, Lightning?”

“Yep! Got new tires, and all of my training done. Are you?” Lightning replied.

“You know it.” Jackson said as they approached the press barriers. He mentally braced himself.

“Jackson Storm, is it true that you’ve turned over a new leaf?”

“Yeah, it’s true. Turns out being a jerk doesn’t suit me.” He said with a light chuckle.

“So you’re now on good terms with Lightning and Cruz?”

“He is. Everyone deserves a second chance.” Lightning confirmed.

“So you two have buried the hatchet and are now friends?” 

“Well, I wouldn’t say friends…” Jackson said as he winked at Lightning, gesturing with a tire to turn around.

Lightning got the hint and turned around to face Jackson, and they kissed, right there in front of the cameras. 

The racers behind them stopped in shock, their mouths agape. The racers ahead of them had no idea as to what was going on, until they turned around at the sound of a ruckus, and also stared in shock. 

“I don’t know about you, but I did _not_ see that coming.” Rich Mixon whispered to Chase Racelott.

“To be honest, I was kind of suspicious with the way Jackson was acting around Lightning…” Chase replied.

Cruz, however, looked on knowingly, with a smile. 

There was a frenzy of camera flashes as the reporters got over their momentary shock.

The two race cars broke apart as they smirked at the cameras. Lightning turned back around to be at Jackson’s side. 

“You two are in a relationship?”

“Yes, we are.” Jackson replied. It had to be obvious, by now.

“How did this happen?”

“It’s a long story. We’ll tell you after the race. We’re holding up the line.” Lightning said as they drove off.

Jackson laughed. “Keeping them hanging, huh?”

“Isn’t it more fun that way? Also, we really were holding up the line.”

“True. You got me there.” They both drove onto the race track and lined up in their respective positions, as they waited for everyone to line up on the race track before the green flag would be waved.

“Well, Darrell, this race will surely be interesting after the bombshell Lightning McQueen and Jackson Storm just dropped.” Bob Cutlass commentated.

“If they ain’t the racing world’s biggest power couple, I don’t know what is!” Darrell replied. “And they’re right next to each other.”

“That was a bold move, you two.” Cruz said from behind Lightning and Jackson. “No hiding it now though, right?”

“Yeah, that’s a relief.” Jackson replied. 

“It’s surely gonna be front page news tomorrow.” Lightning said.

Jackson wasn’t all that concerned. “Well, we’ll deal with it when it comes to that.”

“Right. Don’t go easy on me just because you love me, alright? I want to see if the simulator training paid off.”

Jackson smirked. “Wasn’t planning to.”

Lightning smirked back. “Oh, so that’s how it is.” 

All the racers revved their engines as the flag car raised the green flag, and they took off as it was waved. Lightning and Jackson immediately fought over first place. They went back and forth between taking the lead, but it was friendly competition this time. 

Jackson smiled as he looked at Lightning. With this racing season, he could start anew. He didn’t have to put up a facade anymore. He could be himself. 

The real Jackson Storm.


End file.
